Choices
by fangsallmine1123
Summary: She almost sobs with relief; everyone else was wrong. They all said he was dead, but Fang was alive all along and now he's here, holding her, saying her name softly in her ear. "Two years, Fang. Where are you?" Fax. Sequel to Risks. [Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. All rights reserved to James Patterson. No infringement or copyright intended.]
1. Chapter 1

**Choices**

**I APPLAUD YOU IF YOU READ THIS ENTIRE A/N. **

**DISCLAIMER: So, I'm ****not**** James Patterson. The characters and books belong to him. The plot, though, is mine. Thanks. **

**WARNING: This is a SEQUEL. The story that comes before this one is called **_**Risks**_**. Can be found on my profile, just click on my name to go find it. You may be lost if you don't read **_**Risks **_**first. **

**A/N: Yeah, hi. I said it would be here before April (April 1****st**** being the **_**latest**_**) and so here I am. A few weeks before crunch time. Yeah. **

**When I first started really writing it, I HATED this story. Seriously. I knew what I wanted to happen, but every layout and order of events I tried stunk to high heaven. So I tried again and again until I finally…felt ready to post. This story has a lot of POV switching, mostly between Fang and Max. **

**Even right now, this story is not completely written. It's, like, 95% complete. Which is a totally made up statistic. I actually have no idea how much more I need to write. I do, however, know what I want to happen. Just gotta give me time, folks. Thankfully, I **_**do **_**have the first sixty-seventy pages written out already. So, there's a head start. **

**I had to be completely, madly in love with it before I posted it. So, I took my time. Updates may be a bit farther apart with this one, but not by much. Okay? Okay. **

_**Reviewing**___**is requested. Even encouraged. Happy Reading. **

**Summary: She almost sobs with relief; everyone else was wrong. They all said he was dead, but Fang was alive all along and now he's here, holding her, saying her name softly in her ear. "Two years, Fang. Where are you?" Fax. Sequel to **_**Risks**_**. **

**NOTE: This first chapter takes place, like, three months after the epilogue of **_**Risks**_**. **

**Okay. **

_**Twenty-one Months Ago…**_

"No."

Fang ignored her as he tried to focus on the formulas in his Chemistry textbook. His test on Monday was not going to study for itself, and no matter how much Max tried to distract him now, she'd tell him off for failing Chem when report cards came out. He _had _to study.

But Max had other things in mind. She'd taken Biology, not Chemistry, and her Biology teacher loved her. In fact, now that he thought of it, Fang didn't think she had done _one _assignment for Biology since they'd started school. You'd think she'd try to set a good example for the others. But, no.

Max leaned forward and stuck her face in Fang's, grinning impishly. Fang slowly pushed her back, hating himself for doing it. "No, Max. I _have _to do this."

"Fang," Max breathed, pushing her face into his neck. She kissed his skin slowly, making his heart slam to a stop. "This is the first time we've been _completely alone _in months."

Oh, _God_, was she right. Max and Fang had had no alone time since school started, like, three months ago.

Well, unless you counted sleeping. Fang had moved into Max's room, which of course Dr. Martinez just _loved_, and so they were alone sometimes. But they hadn't had the entire house to themselves practically since they moved in.

Iggy had gone over to Dr. M's house to hang out with Ella, which he did practically every other night or so. Angel had gone to a sleepover. Nudge was on a date with a boy from _her _grade this time, thank God. Fang would've locked her in her room if she tried to date a _sixteen _year old again - long story. Gazzy was doing something with a few of his friends from school. Holden had gone to a movie on a double date with a girl named Jess.

And though Fang would like to do a _million _other things right now, he had to study for his damn Chemistry test.

One of Max's hands rested on his knee, the other pressed to his chest while she leaned in, trying to pull him away from his homework. "You would rather study covalent bonds than spend a little quality time with your girlfriend?"

Fang would rather burn his stupid textbook and then take Max upstairs to spend _a lot _of quality time with her.

But he couldn't do that right now.

_You'll skin me alive if I fail_, Fang reminded them both forcefully, glancing meaningfully at his girlfriend.

"I think I can make an exception this one time," Max reassured his thoughts, pressing her body against his side.

_You say that now_, Fang thought to her, _but you'll forget all about that when the end of the semester rolls around_.

_Fang…_

"No, Max," Fang ground out, trying to focus on his textbook.

"Fang," she whined. Max leaned in, her face moving closer and closer to Fang's. She was going to _make _him pay attention to her.

"_No_."

Just as her mouth was an inch away from his, Fang turned his head. And he thought he had escaped her temptation.

Until she sighed longingly.

Right.

In.

His.

Ear.

Screw Chemistry.

Fang swept his textbook and notes off his lap and flipped Max onto her back on the couch. He fell on top of her and smashed his mouth to hers.

Max sighed, pulling him against her. Their mouths moved quickly, desperately, sloppily - as if they hadn't kissed in months.

In all reality, it had probably been a couple of hours.

Fang grabbed her hips and forced them down against the couch. Max tried to get comfortable beneath him, kicking her feet until they were released from underneath his legs. She wrapped her legs around him, gasping when he started sucking on her neck.

_And you tried telling me no_, Max thought to him, her fingers tugging on his hair as he moved his lips down.

Fang grunted in response and pushed up her shirt, ripping it over her head. She rubbed her neck - he had been a _little _rough.

"Careful, there," Max murmured, grinning up at him in her white tank top. She pulled him down against her, feeling his warm arms wrap around her waist. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

Fang leaned down and began peppering her with kisses everywhere. Max's hands pulled off Fang's shirt, too, flinging it somewhere away from the couch. She gripped the base of his wings, her fingers digging into the skin of his back.

Max jerked Fang's chin up, hard, and slammed his mouth to hers. Her fingers left his face and his back and trailed down to his jeans.

Oh, he loved her.

He wasn't sure what they would've ended up doing. Fang would never know.

Because right then, as Max struggled with Fang's belt, a voice said from above them: "Can you go get lucky in your room? Jake and I want to watch TV."

Max squeaked against Fang's mouth (biting down on his tongue in the process, which Fang did not appreciate) and fumbled for the fleece blanket on the back of the couch. She pulled it down on top of them and tried to cover them from view.

Two boys stood in front of the couch, staring at them.

"Damn it, Gazzy-" Fang began, but Max glared at the Gasman and his scared-looking friend, Jake.

"You said you were going out with a friend!" she spluttered, her face a bright shade of crimson.

Max thought, _Gazzy just caught me trying to get in Fang's pants. Shit._ _I will never live this down_.

Fang smirked despite their situation. At least it was Max this time and not him.

"No," Gazzy said, his voice cracking. He was going to be scarred by this event for the rest of his life, Fang was sure of it. "I said I was having a friend _over_."

Max groaned, letting her head fall back onto the cushiony arm of the couch.

Fang looked down at her, then back at Gazzy and Jake, who looked like he wished he could be anywhere else. "I'll pay you fifty bucks to make yourself scarce, ASAP."

"_And _that new video game I wanted," Gazzy pressed.

"Gaz," Fang began.

"I eat breakfast on that couch, Fang. Do expect me to just forget the _monstrosity _that is taking place-"

"Fine! Get lost."

"Thanks, Fang!" Gazzy said, and him and Jake ran off.

Fang looked down at her, and Max stared back. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, her hair splayed out around her on the arm of the couch.

"Did that just ruin the mood?" Max asked softly.

Fang pondered that for a second. Then he leaned down and smirked at her.

"Nope."

Just as his mouth was about to touch hers again, the landline rang from the table beside them. Fang reached up and put it on speaker as he kissed her.

"What?" he said against her neck, making her squirm.

"_What_? Get your lazy ass off the couch and get ready, what! I'm two minutes from your house."

Max pulled back and looked up at him.

"Where are we going?" Fang asked, confused. It was Aaron, one of their friends from school.

"Where are we - Do you not _remember _when my sister bribed me with baseball tickets? Dude, come on!"

Fang stared down at Max. He did remember. Aaron had caught his older sister sneaking into the house at three AM, and she'd gotten him baseball tickets to keep it quiet. Nice seats.

But that was tonight? On the one night he had alone with Max?

Max sighed, reaching down on the floor for her shirt. "Go," she said. "I'll be here when you get back."

Fang grinned, leaning down to kiss his girlfriend on the mouth for a moment.

"Did you just ask the missus for permission? _Damn_, not even married yet and she's got you whipped. Whatever, what'd she say, man?"

Max smirked against Fang's mouth and watched him pull away and put on his shirt.

"The missus said yes," Max called to the phone, and heard Aaron whoop and thank her repeatedly. She sighed. "Just, don't let any other girls look at him, okay?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Max."

"And make sure he has his phone on him," she continued, reaching her foot up to kick his butt as he stood up. "I'll be constantly reminding him of what he's missing out on."

Fang turned around and grinned, pulling her into a sitting position. "Send pictures," he whispered, pulling her against him.

She whapped him in the head for that one.

"You rock, Max," Aaron said. "Two minutes!"

The dial tone droned out of the speaker as Fang kissed her again.

• • •

"Are you saying he isn't cute?" Nudge asked Ella, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Ella said.

Nudge sighed. "Can we not have an honest conversation in front of your boyfriend?" Nudge glared at Iggy. "She's only lying for your sake, you know. He's freaking gorgeous and she knows it."

Iggy sighed and said sarcastically, "My girlfriend is willing to lie to protect my feelings? She is _so _perfect."

Ella rolled her eyes. "He's _kind _of good looking," she agreed finally. "But he's a pig."

Nudge shrugged. "I would've said yes if he'd asked _me _out."

"Yeah, and then Fang would've kicked your ass. Or _his _ass, like last time," Iggy snorted.

"Wes was a nice guy! Fang just…overreacted. I don't understand why he's so strict with me and who I date. I mean, he was totally all for Gazzy asking that girl out. He's _nine_."

"Wes was sixteen," Ella pointed out.

"You're twelve," Iggy added.

Nudge waved her hand dismissively as Max made her way down the stairs.

"Aaron, are you sure?" Max asked into the phone. She paused. "Okay, but if you see him call me. Okay. Bye."

She set down her phone and looked at the others.

"Have you guys seen Fang?" she asked.

"No, but we were _just _talking about him," Ella said. "Isn't he with you?"

He was, of course, always with her these days. They shared a bedroom, for God's sake. Plus he'd proposed to her, and though Dr. Martinez put her foot down and demanded they finish high school first, they were practically already married anyways.

"He was, last night. He came to bed when he got home." Max said, pushing her hair back from her face. It was Sunday, around eleven, but Max was still in her pajamas. "But he wasn't there this morning."

"He probably went flying or something," Nudge said.

"He would've left a note," Max mumbled. "Or told someone."

"Well, I didn't see him," Iggy said seriously. Max glared at him.

"Mom dropped me off around nine and Ig and I have been down here since," Ella said. "I didn't see him."

"Okay," Max said, sighing. "I guess Nudge is right."

Iggy lifted himself up off the couch and made his way into the kitchen. "Well, I'm going to make something to eat. Any suggestions?"

"French toast!" Nudge cried.

"It's eleven," Ella said, grinning. "For lunch?"

"French toast it is!" Iggy sang from the kitchen.

And Fang's absence was forgotten.

For a little while.

**A/N: Not a lot of content, but…it got the plot rolling. And hopefully gave some relief for what drama is to come soon…**

**You know what's really awkward? People who reviewed for my final chapter of **_**Internet Fiasco **_**and said: **_**Update soon!**_

**That story's over, folks. Ha. Awwwwk. **

**Okay, ****review****!**

**COME ON.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys are so awesome. I'm updating again today because I probably won't tomorrow. Enjoy! And, trust me, there will me tons of Fax! You just gotta **_**trust **_**me!**

**PRESENT DAY**

"I mean, come on! What kind of person does that? Am I right, Max?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to glance back at the fuming Angel in the backseat. Angel, who, when we had left school, had a red stain on the front of her blouse. Apparently, a girl named Rachel "accidentally" threw spaghetti on Angel at lunch. Probably because Angel told Rachel's BFF that they weren't really BFFs…at least not in Rachel's mind.

See? I do listen to their rants. I'm such an involved motherly figure.

"She's a brat, Angel. She's spoiled and she takes advantage of people," I consoled. How's that for motherly advice? Angel huffed. Nine years old and already so much drama. I guess being "normal" does that to you. (Quotes around normal because we're far from it, but you knew that).

It was still weird, thinking about how just two years ago, we weren't dealing with melodramatic girls in class and normal teenage struggles. We had much bigger, more critical problems. Like, say, surviving? Primal things like that. Food, shelter, you get the gist.

Anyway.

Now we weren't worrying about where our next meal was coming from or if we'd find a warm enough, well-secluded cave to sleep in. Nope. Just homework deadlines and classroom rivalries.

Life's tough.

A song came on the radio and Nudge groaned. Her feet, which had been kicked up on the dashboard of the passenger seat, fell to the ground as she leaned forward off the headrest and started pressing buttons on the radio that I still didn't know how to use. "This song is so overplayed!"

I wasn't thinking about overplayed songs or brats at school. Frankly, I never really spent too much time thinking about them. After everything I've lived through, it seemed really ridiculous for me to try to pretend I cared about petty things like that. I mean, I did my best to support the others and show sympathy for their drama, but I steered clear of having my _own _drama. And ever since Fang…

Well, there have been more important things to focus on these days.

But…

I looked up in the visor mirror above my head. It was tilted such a way that I could see the lower half of my face and a bit of my neck. I knew that if I moved aside the collar of my t-shirt I'd see it - the mark Fang had given me on my neck.

We'd shared a dream for the first time in almost _two years _last night.

My mind was still reeling. It had felt so real, and he had been there, he had _actually _been there, holding me and kissing me and talking to me…And we'd all thought he was dead.

But he wasn't. I knew that now.

I'd driven these roads a million times since I got my license (Mom had forced me to take Driver's Ed last year, _that _had been interesting), and they were as dull and empty as ever. It was about eight PM; Nudge, Angel and I had gone to the store on a whim to get Angel a new shirt, since she had picture day tomorrow at school. We were all starting a new year; me and Ig - and Fang, if he were here - were Juniors.

Frankly, I was ready to just get home and drop, especially if it meant seeing Fang again. Fang. My heart raced as I just thought about it. How real it had been. How relieved I had felt when I saw him.

_She can barely believe it. Can this be real? It has to be. It has to be real. _

_Max'll die if it isn't. _

_She pushes her hand to his face. His eyes are dark and mysterious, but he looks happy to see her. His nose is just how it always has been. His ears are as level as ever. His lips… He's definitely him, that's for sure. _

_But he looks different, too. He hasn't shaved in who knows how long. The hairs on his chin scratch her hand. He's skinny - unhealthily skinny - and he looks pale. He looks sick. His lips are pressed firmly together and are chapped and cracked. _

_She has questions for him. Oh, boy, does she have questions. Like, where have you been? And, you're not dead? And, why the hell haven't you come home? _

_But Max's philosophy when it came to Fang turned out to be kiss now, ask later. _

_She knows it has to be real. She hasn't been able to touch him in the other dreams. She's never been able to see every vivid detail of him. The other dreams have always just taunted her, show her images of him but never, ever the real thing. This time, though, is different, and Max is shaking with shock. He is here…_

"_Fang," she says carefully, her voice quivering. It's unnerving; if this is really just a dream, she knows she's going to be a wreck when she wakes up. She doesn't want to be a wreck when she wakes up._

"_I'm here," he says, and his voice is cracked and rough. "I'm here." _

_It all happens really fast then. Max isn't even paying attention to what he's doing, but then his arms tighten around her and she locks hers around his neck, holding him as close as possible, as if that will erase everything and bring him home once and for all. She almost sobs with relief; everyone else was wrong. They all said he was dead, but Fang was alive all along and now he's here, holding her, saying her name softly in her ear. _

"_Two years, Fang. Where have you been?" _

_It's not until her back hits the soft, familiar cushion of her mattress that she realizes they're in her room. _Their _room, two rooms ago. When he was home. When he was alive. _

_But doesn't this mean he's alive? Doesn't this mean he's not dead, like they all thought?_

_His hands move down from her waist to her legs, pulling them apart so he can get closer. _

_She stares up at him, almost in shock that this is happening. That Fang is touching her. That he's holding her and kissing her, for the first time in so, so long. _

"_Is this real?" she murmurs, almost to herself since Fang is so preoccupied. She pinches her arm hard. She has to leave some mark on herself so she knows if it is real or not in the morning. _

_Her nails cut into her skin, drawing blood. She doesn't even recognize the pain of it, just the sensation of feeling _something_. She can feel her nails against her skin. It has to be more than a dream…_

_Fang pulls her fingers away. "It's real," Fang says, leaning down to kiss her injury. "I promise." _

_She remembers a time when his promises meant nothing, but right now it feel likes a religion. She holds onto that promise with her whole being, willing it to be true. _

"_How am I going to know?" she whispers, running her hands up and down his chest. _

_He ignores all her questions, but she doesn't really notice that. She does, however, take note of his kissing her deeply, almost roughly. Max responds slowly, savoring it, memorizing how it feels. He moves his mouth down her neck, flicking open the top three buttons of Max's long sleeve pajama shirt until he finally pulls it all the way open. He presses his lips to her skin, dangerously and thrillingly closer to her cleavage, close to a place he hasn't really been before, but Max doesn't stop him. Fang's here, with her, _kissing _her, and she's missed him. _

_She runs her hands up his back, pushes them up his shirt, pulling him closer. She has gone too long without this. He keeps his mouth in one spot on her chest for a while, and she realizes that he's leaving a mark._

_He stops kissing her to press his forehead to hers. He's breathing heavy, his eyes showing so much emotion that for the first time she doubts the reality of the dream. Oh, God, that mark better be there when she gets up…_

"_I don't have much time. I love you, Max." _

And then he had been ripped away from me. I woke up crying, breathing laboriously, and…

There was a mark on my neck.

Fang was alive. After two years of him being gone, vanishing without a trace, I knew now that he was alive.

I couldn't believe it. I'd been reliving it all day, in every class, at lunch, walking through the halls. Even after school, when Iggy and I had gone to Aaron's for a while. The dreams was constantly on replay in my mind. Fang was _alive _and now he could finally, finally come home…My mind was going insane with possibilities. What if we shared another dream tonight?

I hadn't told anyone about it - my dream, I mean. I wanted to get some answers first, and I needed to see Fang again to do so. I needed to find out where he was, what he was doing…Why he hadn't contacted us in twenty-one months. In counting.

It wasn't hard for me to get distracted. Angel had been blabbering on in the backseat, and Nudge had been changing radio stations and singing along loudly.

But it wasn't their fault for what happened.

That's the sad truth about accidents. No matter how accidental it _really _was, someone is always, always at fault. Someone has a lapse of judgment, or focus, or understanding…and suddenly it doesn't matter what their intentions were. Because it's still their fault. And the worst part is, the innocent people always tend to blame themselves, while the guilty ones force themselves to believe they did nothing wrong. Angel and Nudge were in no way at fault for what happened. I know that.

I was. I had been thinking about Fang and not about driving and suddenly the light that had been green was red. But I didn't stop.

I was running a red light. Which happens all the time - people run red lights everyday. And this _could've _been just a driving ticket and a hundred dollar fine, but it wasn't. Not this time.

"Max?" I heard Angel call uneasily from the backseat.

It didn't happen fast. People may say, "One second I was driving, the next second, Boom!"

But that just wasn't how it was for me. I stared into the headlights. The bright, blinding light, and I thought, _finally_. Finally I will be able to see him again.

Instead of inflicting fear and sadness, that light gave me a kind of comfort I haven't felt in ages. It was like a weight being lifted from my chest, like I could finally _breathe _again. I wouldn't have to live without Fang anymore. I wouldn't have to pretend to be okay ever again.

Then I remembered: _Fang wasn't dead_. Because I saw him last night.

So why did this light look so promising…

And then

boom.

**A/N: Well, shit. Remember that thing I said about trusting me? Yeah.**

**I just realized that they always, like, **_**mark **_**each other in their dreams and stuff. Seems kind of animalistic, when you think of it. It's like, Mine! Mine! Like, the birds from **_**Finding Nemo**_**. Haha. Birds. Max and Fang. I'm hilarious. **

**REVIEW.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry if the last chapter was a little jumbled…Max's head was also a little jumbled. So, I hope this is taken as a fair apology. This chapter, by the way, is in Nudge's POV. Just an fyi. Enjoy. **

It was the most horrible thing Nudge had ever experienced. Not the pain, of course. The pain barely registered as she gasped (she seemed to have lost her voice at the moment) in horror and looked around. They were trapped in what used to be Dr. Martinez's car. A pile of glass sat in her lap. There was smoke coming from the hood and pretty much everywhere. It seemed as if they and the car had become one giant tangle of sharp metal and broken glass.

What had happened? Suddenly, no matter how hard she tried, Nudge couldn't remember what Angel had been chattering on about in the backseat, or what song had been on the radio that she'd been so desperate to change. All she could remember was it suddenly being too bright for six thirty in the evening. Harsh, unnatural light had been absent one moment and there the next, blinding her. No doubt blinding Max, too.

It vaguely registered in Nudge's mind that the airbags had been disabled as she glanced around frantically, taking in the situation. How had this even been a _car _before? Now it was a tangled pile of rubble…

Nudge choked, but not on the smoke. It was Max; Max who looked so motionless and pale and gone. Max, who's head - which was bleeding profusely - rested on the steering wheel.

Nudge was going to be sick.

Like after one of Iggy and Gazzy's bombs, it was deathly quiet. "Max?" she asked, but she couldn't even hear herself. She was afraid to reach out and grab Max - what if she was cold or limp? What if there was no pulse? There _had _to be a pulse.

She turned when Angel started to whimper and her bright eyes stared back at Nudge in horror.

There was a scream from outside their hellish mechanical cage; someone had noticed the wreckage. Sounds started to come from different directions all at once. The hollow sound of heavy footsteps running towards them, a woman telling her children to cover their eyes, a devastated shriek of a teenager girl who was standing just outside Nudge's door.

Nudge's eyes landed on Max again, who was now barely turning her head. One of her eyes, the one not swollen shut, tried to focus on Nudge, tried to focus on anything.

"Get out," she breathed roughly.

Nudge knew a lot about cars. She knew that this one in particular was _so _mangled, and that there were now broken, exposed wires touching and sticking out. The car could go up in flames at any time; Nudge was surprised it hadn't yet. Angel, who was shaking violently, climbed out of the back window while favoring one arm.

"Max?"

"_Get out_," Max said again. Her mouth was barely moving.

Reluctantly, Nudge allowed a stranger to pull her from the car. He asked her immediately if she was alright.

"Max!" Nudge cried, pulling Angel close. There were people all around them, including the driver of the other car who stood with his hands in his hair, staring at the wreckage in despair. Nudge heard the sirens in the distance that seemed to sing with horrible finality.

Time stood still then. Max's life was on the line, and Nudge knew it. Not to mention people were starting to notice the wings sticking out of their shirts…

Two men yanked on Max's car door and it fell off with a loud clang. One of them slowly took in a breath, looking down at Max's body. The other checked to see if her neck was broken.

"…crushed by the car...damage to her legs…barely breathing…her to the hospital..."

"Dude, it's that Max chick…"

"… Max, the bird girl…"

Soon the sirens were so loud that Nudge wanted to cover her ears.

It kind of happened in slow motion. Nudge's sluggish state of mind made her watch in silence as Max's neck was put in a brace and she was lifted onto a gurney. An ambulance's back doors were wide open, like grim, welcoming arms.

Watching the paramedics lift Max's limp body out of the wreckage was something Nudge would never unsee.

• • •

This, Nudge realized, was why she hated hospitals.

Not only because of the anti-septic smell and the cold, scientific look, but because of the fear. The fear of being hurt, of someone you loved being hurt, of not knowing what was going on behind the ER doors. It made her, along with the others, uneasy and on edge.

Iggy, Gazzy and Ella stepped out of the elevator and spotted Angel and Nudge immediately. Ella ran over to hug the two of them. Nudge had gotten her leg taped up - it hadn't been bad enough to need stitches - and Angel's left arm was in a cast.

Nudge fell into Ella, wrapping her shaking arms around her. Tears were already in her eyes again. Ella pulled back and asked Nudge something, but Nudge didn't hear it. She wasn't listening. She couldn't really focused on anything at the moment, except for the picture of Max in her head, broken and bleeding and…unresponsive.

That's what they had said. _Unresponsive_. God, why did that sound so irrevocable?

Iggy put his hand on Nudge's shoulder and spoke to her slowly and deliberately.

"Nudge, what happened?"

"I didn't even see it coming," Nudge gasped through her tears. Iggy pulled her close, rubbing her back. He shushed her but she continued on frantically.

"Angel was telling us about that bitch Rachel throwing spaghetti at her, and I leaned over to change the radio station because that God-awful Chris Brown song came on again. Then, out of nowhere, this truck-"

"Max ran a red light," Angel said softly. "She wasn't paying attention."

Gazzy was hugging his sister's shoulders. Nudge pulled away from Iggy as they all heard Dr. Martinez calling to them from down the hall.

Nudge couldn't help but let out a crestfallen sob when she saw Max's mom. There she was, still dressed in her clinic clothes. Her hair was tied back hastily and her face was full of fear and worry.

"She's in surgery," Iggy said quietly. "We just got here."

"What happened? Are you two alright?" Dr. Martinez hugged both of the girls and made them all march down the hall to a waiting room.

Finally, once Nudge had sat down, she rested her head in her shaking hands. "I think it kind of was my fault. I mean, Max was already preoccupied listening to Angel, and I was just adding more distractions by changing the radio station constantly…" She sniffled violently, hiccupping.

"It isn't our fault," Angel murmured quietly. She was staring at the floor. "Max wasn't paying attention. She was thinking about Fang when she ran the light, and when she saw the other car coming towards us, she…" Angel lost her voice, inhaling roughly for a second, trying not to cry.

"She was happy."

**A/N: Oh, poo. **

**Review for me pleeeeaaaaase. And if that isn't enough encouragement…**

**Review for the next chapter, which is in Fang's POV!**

**And review to find out where the **_**hell **_**he's been. **

**Review to find out why their other powers aren't working!**

**AND review to find out how I'm tying Dylan into this story…**

**Oh, yeah. All in the next chapter, guys. So hit that button. **

**I'm out. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! I'm getting a lot of questions asking why Fang and Max haven't transported to each other yet…Yeah, just read. **

That dream had been the best thing Fang had experienced in the last two years.

Too bad it had been a mistake.

He could still picture Max in his head, still feel her lips under his, for the first time in so, so long…

Suddenly, he was rudely snapped out of his thoughts as a voice rang cruelly through the loud speakers in the small, dim room.

"You've already given me a reason to take action. Why shouldn't I?"

Fang stayed on his back with his eyes closed, wishing he could die right there, in that moment. He'd been wishing for death a lot, lately. Which, come to think of it, probably wasn't healthy. But nothing about him was healthy these days. Not his body and not his mind.

"_Why_?" She didn't really want an answer. She wanted him to obey. She wanted him to give in.

But Fang would never give in to her.

"Well," she said decisively, her voice echoing around the room. "It doesn't matter what you think anyways. I gave you distinct rules to follow. It didn't even take a single _day _of freedom for you to screw up. I see no reason to spare her life - or any of them, actually. I do not want them that badly. Not if all they are going to do is distract you."

The door opened and she walked into the room. Her long, pin-straight black hair fell down her back. Her dark eyes were almost as threatening as the device she held in her hand.

"I've told you before what this does, right?" she whispered, getting in his face. "One push of this tiny, tiny button and you're world comes tumbling down. Thousands of my soldiers would be sent out in seconds to find and destroy your flock. And if you don't want that to happen, I suggest you follow my orders."

He didn't even look at her. He stared straight ahead impassively as if her threats were going in one ear and out the next.

"Fascinating, isn't it? That something so small could make such a _big _difference? But, in other news," she said, standing up and pacing in front of him. "You're little girlfriend has done a pretty good job of eliminating herself."

He still didn't move. There was no way Max was dead.

"What, do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I'm _incapable _of trickery? I mean, after all we've been through together? She's been dead for the last twenty-four hours."

His jaw clenched, and it didn't go unnoticed. Her eyes sparked with victory as she continued. "I mean, are you sure it felt 100% real? Are you sure that she was actually there? Maybe it _was _just a dream, after all."

Fang didn't believe that. Max wasn't dead. No. There was _no way_. Fang sat up. He attacked her back, not missing a beat.

"So this is what your going to do?" he called across the room to her in anger. "You're going to let me have all my powers back, but not be able to…" he trailed off. He leaned his head against the cement wall and tried to organize his thoughts. He couldn't be with Max, not even in his dreams, if it was going to endanger or kill the others.

He wondered what would kill him first. Withholding from Max, or being in this shit hole of a prison any longer. Jesus, how long had it even been? What had Max said, in their dream? Two years?

Two _freaking _years.

Jesus.

"Don't start thinking you get your powers back. Your powers are _gifts_, and you have to earn them."

Fang would've rolled his eyes, but he knew that she was serious. She'd been keeping his powers restricted ever since he'd gotten there.

The door opened. Behind her, two men dressed in white wheeled in a television. She smiled at the two whose faces Fang couldn't see, a look of sick satisfaction on her face.

That woman made Fang's whole body burn with hatred. He knew her name - he knew a lot about her. But he tried not to think about any of that. He hated who she was and what she had done, what she _was _doing.

"I thought you'd like to see what has been going on with them lately," she said sweetly. "I'm sure you must be missing them, yes?"

_As if you don't fucking know_, Fang thought furiously. She was the whole reason he had to leave in the first place. As one of the men turned on the TV and raised the volume so Fang could hear it from where he was chained across the room, he studied her. Her long hair, her dark, hateful eyes. She was short and skinny. She looked at him and cocked her head, smirking. He decided that if she got close enough, he'd spit at her.

"Well, would you look who it is?" she sang innocently, her eyes watching Fang and not the TV, probably gauging his reaction. He demanded himself to not give her one.

On screen there was a picture of the flock. It was grainy, but Fang guessed it was the only good picture the media had of all six of them. Fang was even in the picture. The man was talking about the others, about an accident. An accident? Fang sat up, listening closer.

"And though the reports have been unclear, it has been confirmed by a staff member of St. Joseph's Hospital that Maximum Ride was admitted and was unconscious upon arrival. It _was _said she was in critical condition, suffering from fatal injuries an hour ago and her status now is unknown," the man says. The picture of the flock disappeared from the screen and it showed a short, grey haired man standing in front of the hospital. "The witnesses say she ran a stoplight, resulting in the wreck that totaled the car she was driving. The two other girls in the accident have minor injuries."

Fang could hear his heart beating in his ears. The picture changed to a woman dressed in a nurses uniform.

"When they arrived, she wasn't awake, she wasn't responsive-"

The woman turned off the television. "Thank you, Victor. Dylan."

Fang's eyes zeroed in on the tall, blonde haired assistant in the white coat.

"_Dylan_?"

There was no…way…in _hell_…

Dylan turned to look at Fang, his eyes blank. "I'm doing this for her, Fang."

"Doing _what_?" Fang shouted, wishing he wasn't restrained so he could pummel Dylan like the weasel he was. Fang had always hated Dylan, but know he couldn't even express how much he wanted Dylan dead. He was in shock - what the heck was happening? "Keeping me away from her? How is that going to help her? She needs me right now!"

"We all have choices to make, Fang," Dylan said coldly. "I've made mine with Max in my best interests. What about you?"

"Yes," the woman said. Her real name, though Fang would never give her the respect of calling her by it, was Evelyn. "Fang, what is _your _choice?"

Fang stared straight ahead, not looking at Dylan, not looking at Evelyn. He was so done with all of this. He hated himself for not being strong enough to escape. He hated himself for feeling so weak.

He hated Dylan for helping this witch with her plans.

"We'll talk in the morning," she sneered. "Sweet dreams."

Fang leaned his head back against the wall. He wanted to kick something. Too bad there was nothing in there to kick. It was really a small, pitiful cell he was being kept in, and there wasn't much to look at. Fang occupied most of his time thinking these days.

Fang _knew _Max wasn't dead. He just knew. He would feel it if she was, and there wasn't a chance she was gone. That dream had been real. The most real thing he'd done in forever.

Max. He had never gotten to say anything to her, a goodbye or _anything_. That one last night that he could've spent with her, and he'd gone to a _baseball game_. He hated himself for that.

And when he'd gotten home, she'd been asleep. Then, he'd woken up and he was here. Wherever here was, anyways.

Evelyn refused to give him any information, except for the fact that she intended on keeping him here for a long time, until he agreed to carry out her plan. Her plan to lure the others here and capture them, too.

Why would she even think that Fang would do that? It had, after all, been two years of him denying her endeavors. At first, it had been months of no contact whatsoever. Fang had woken up in this cell one morning, unaware of anything. Evelyn had come into the room, informed him on who she was - _that _had been interesting, all right…it still made his blood boil thinking about it - and told him that he'd been taken from the flock eight months before.

Eight months.

How had he not remembered _eight _months?

But she'd revealed that for the first eight months of his disappearance, he'd been in an quarantine chamber, which cut off his consciousness. His senses, his powers, his mind. All shut off. For _months_. It had been for experimental and research purposes, she said. He realized later that it had given her time to figure him out; she had explored his mind and his life and learned how to get under his skin, learned exactly what it took to torture him out of his mind. How to keep him from escaping, how to wreck any hope he had of getting out of there.

And she'd figured out how to cut-off his powers.

When Fang finally woke up, Evelyn explained what she wanted to use him for.

When he refused, she left.

And no one came back.

For _months_.

Food appeared once a week, sometimes not at all. Fang's powers were cut off, he was chained and left to suffer alone with absolutely no way out. He even broke his wrist trying to escape the cuffs on his arms. Plus, no matter how much he slept, no matter how loud he yelled in his mind for Max, no matter how badly he tried to transport…

He stayed put. Alone. Chained. Starving.

Then, Evelyn had tried a different tactic. After he didn't break under isolation, she'd given him an ultimatum.

Work for her.

Or kill the others.

Now she visited him every day, usually with a new form of toture. And last night, she'd told him she would give him back his dreaming power, so he could help bring Max and the others towards her trap. She also told him that if he used his dreams to _be _with Max instead of to lure her in, she would have the flock killed. Immediately.

And he'd done it anyways. He'd kissed Max anyways, and he'd held her tight. Because he hadn't been able to hold her for _two years_.

But Evelyn hadn't killed them. Or at least, she hadn't sounded like she was going to. Maybe she just wasn't ballsy enough…but, Fang figured she just didn't want to kill them. She wanted to use them, sell them, test on them…But not kill them. Yet.

Max had already gotten herself into a life or death situation, without Fang's help. So, she'd been in a car accident? Why had she even been driving? Who had been in the car with her? Fang assumed Nudge and Angel, since the reporter had said _two girls_.

Then again, one of them could've been Ella, or even some of her friends from school. Fang had no idea what was going on. He wished he could talk to her, hold her. Kiss her without putting her in danger.

He wanted to see the others. So badly. He wanted to keep Nudge out of trouble, he wanted to hang out with Iggy and the Gasman, even Holden. He'd even play with Angel, if he could be with them all again. He'd do anything to see them.

Two years.

At first, Fang had thought that they'd just moved on and forgotten about him.

But the way Max had reacted in their dream last night…she'd missed him. And he'd missed her, too. Oh, he'd missed her. And if he hadn't been chained, both hands and both feet, to this dumb cell, he'd probably have kicked his way out of the hellhole by now.

Poor Max. She'd be devastated to see what Dylan had become. A pawn, for _Evelyn_ no less. Probably the most malicious woman in the world.

Fang _hated _her. He'd never hated anyone as much as he loathed Evelyn. Not even Jeb. Not even Dylan.

No.

They hadn't been nearly as bad as his mother.

**A/N: Hope that wasn't **_**too terribly **_**confusing…I suck at explaining things…so, um, yeah. Fang's been kidnapped. Gasp! **

**And the kidnapper is his mother, who's an evil genius, because what other kind of genius is there? Eh? **_**Exactly**_**. **

**Not to mention Dylan has now got his own agenda… to "help" Max. Uh-huh. Suuuure. **

**GUESS WHAT GUYS. I have new one-shots up!**

**[Summary for **_**IHOP**_**: "International House of Pancakes? This place should be called International House of Uncomfortable Aftermath. IHOUA. Actually, no, that doesn't really work, does it?" Fax. A lost chapter of The Final Warning. One-shot.]**

**[Summary for **_**Turbulence**_**: I'm pretty sure "alone time with Fang" trumps "possible tornado touch-down" any day. Just saying, it's totally worth the risk, you know? Fax. Post-Max. Super short one-shot.]**

**[Summary for **_**Jumanji and Monster**_**: The simplest things. They remind Fang of her. They make Max want him back. Always, always the simplest things. Like Jumanji and Monster. Post-Fang. Fax. One-shot.]**

**And then, as you know, there's **_**Falling **_**and **_**Different **_**and **_**His List**_**…jeez. Go check those one-shots, out folks! **

**And if you have any ideas, don't hesitate to share. I'd be happy to make an idea come to life!**

**So ****REVIEW**** for info on Max in the next chapter!**

**OK, peace. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: THIS IS SO SHORT DON'T HATE ME.**

**So, not only am I working on this story and the third in the trilogy (lookin' good so far, if I do say so myself), I'm also working on an AH/AU story. **

**I don't know if I should post it or not. I'm…conflicted. **

**I like it. I've never seen anything like it on here before, and I think it's pretty good, as far as, like, plot goes. But…**

**I don't know. **

**Anyways. Thank you for your reviews and for sticking with the sequel, guys. You all rock. Brownie points to those who checked out my one-shots and reviewed! Your guys are so freaking cool. Like, for realz.**

**Here we go. **

I was a wreck. Not just emotionally, due to the fact that I had no idea what happened to the other two in my vehicle, but also physically. My face, for instance, looked like a lumpy pie. A lumpy burnt pie. That someone eagerly attacked with a knife on Thanksgiving.

Both my legs were wrapped up. My torso was bandaged, too. My left arm was in a cast and was elevated. And there were so many machines keeping me alive that I felt pathetic.

In the last five minutes of standing there, looking down at my near-death body, I couldn't say I hadn't tried practically everything to wake up. At first it was sort of a meditating technique. _Be one with the body and mind_. You know, that sort of mumbo-jumbo. Then I tried thinking, _Wake up, Max. Wake up, Max. Wake up. Wake up! Wakeupwakeupwakeup…_

That didn't work.

I also tried magic words and voodoo and even praying to pretty much every deity I've ever heard of. No dice.

So I sat there, discouraged, trying not to vomit at the view of my mangled body.

Just to be clear, comatose out-of-body experiences _suck_.

I was practically shaking in my ghost-like state as I thought of the others and how they were doing. I was so, so stupid. Incredibly stupid. How could I have ran a red light like that? With the girls in the car? Oh, god…What if…

I couldn't think about it. They had to be alright. If they weren't…I never wanted to wake up. Ever. I could never live with myself.

My panic somewhat disappeared when they entered; they were okay, thank God.

My heart seized as I saw them all. I had done this to them; I had put them all in this zombie-like, worried state. Angel's arm was in a cast and Nudge had thin bandages on her forehead. She was limping. They were both bruised and had cuts all over.

When they saw me - not _me_, the ghost in the corner, but my body laying in the hospital bed - they all just shut down. Nudge started crying, and it didn't look like the first time she'd done so today.

"She's in a coma," Mom said softly, putting her hand on the Gasman's shoulder. "She can't move or talk. It's like she's sleeping. But maybe, if your lucky, she can hear you."

She can hear you…

I wondered if Angel could hear my thoughts at all.

_Angel? Angel!_

Nothing.

But it didn't really matter if she could hear me or not, because I felt myself drifting away, floating, higher and higher and higher until I was weightless.

Then I didn't even exist.

• • •

"_Fang?" _

_He feels like walking away. Running. Flying. Anything to escape her. Because he can't screw up again. He can't put her in danger. _

"_Fang!" _

_He keeps his back to her and says, "Not now, Max." _

"_Then when?" she calls. It's quiet except for her feet on the pavement until she's right behind him; he can feel her body heat radiating towards him. _

_They're standing on a paved road that cuts straight through the woods. He isn't sure what season it is, in reality - he hasn't stepped outside in close to two years - but the trees here are all different shades of red and yellow and orange. _

"_Talk to me," Max says. "Where are you? What's kept you from coming home?" _

_Fang has to be careful here. He doesn't know what all they can monitor in his sleep like this. He's only just been given his power back, and Evelyn had known the first time he'd woken up; she'd known everything he and Max had done. _

"_Will you just look at me?" she demands. _

_Fang turns around, taking in her appearance. Fang thinks she looks totally perfect. He misses her so much that it takes every ounce of self-control he has not to pull her against him. _

"_What's going on?"_

"_I can't say," Fang says, apologetically staring into her eyes. He can't take any risks until he knows himself. _He _doesn't even know what's going on, but he's not willing to risk Max's life by theorizing right now. _

"_You can't-" she begins, but she stops. "You've been gone for two years." If he was counting, because she sure as hell was, it had actually been a year and nine months. "The others and I…we looked for months. I didn't know what to think. They thought you were dead. We…I…Everything fell apart. And now you're here, standing in front of me _alive_, and you won't even tell me what happened?" _

"_It's not that I won't," Fang insists. "I can't." _

"_Why?" she asks. "Who is stopping you?"_

"_This isn't about me," Fang says. "You're in danger -"_

"_I'm in a coma!" Max blurts. "Honestly, what _else _can I get myself into?" _

_His face pales in surprise._

"_You're in a coma?" Fang whispers. _

"_Yeah," Max says sheepishly, looking away from him. "I mean, I was in an accident…the others are fine… I can still see them, though. I'm having, like, an out-of-body experience. They can't see or talk to me but I can see and hear them. It's…weird."_

_Fang takes a deep breath. He doesn't want to say what he's going to say next, but he has to. He has to put some distance between them. After all the tests they'd been running, Fang had been slipping in and out of consciousness, and it seemed Max was stuck in the latter. _

"_I can't be around you, Max," Fang says. She exhales harshly, her eyes staring at him in disbelief. _

"_I…can't stand you!" Max shouts. "You're alive, and this is the first time I've seen you in years, and you can't be around me? That's not fair!" _

What's not fair is that if I so much as touch you again, she'll kill you. Or worse, _he thinks harshly. _

_Max recoils. "Who?"_

_He shakes his head. _

"_Who?" Max pursues, now more worried than angry. "Who is doing this to you? Tell me." _

"_I can't say anything," Fang whispers. _

"_Well, shit, Fang," she chokes out. "You can't do a lot of things." _

_The only response she gets is Fang's monotonous: "I know."_

"_What is that supposed to mean?" Max demands. "The least you can do is explain to me where you are!" _

_Fang can't give in right now. He has to think of a way to get out of this place, then he'll be able to explain to Max. But his first priority is to protect her and the flock. He turns around again, trying not to look at her. Trying, for the first time, to escape the dream he's sharing with her. _

"_Did you leave me on purpose?" Max asks after a moment. _

"_What?" he practically yells, shocked that she would even consider the fact that he would do that. _

"_You heard me!" she says, her voice full of pain and fear. "You heard what I said! Answer me! Did you leave me because you wanted to?"_

_He grabs her. "Of course I didn't," he says to her, moving his face close to hers. "Of course I didn't, Max. You have to believe that." _

I want to, _she thinks. _I want to believe that_. But he doesn't seem to hear her. Can they not read each other's minds anymore? She can't hear Fang, she realizes. Oh, God, what's happening to them? _

"_I want to, Fang." She leans forward, wanting to hold him, to kiss him, but he drops his arms to his sides and steps back. _

"_I can't," he says. He hates the look in Max's eyes. _

_And he hates himself for putting it there. _

**A/N: Does it bother you guys that I'm switching POVs in this one? I mean, I want you to be able to see what's going on with Max and what's up with Fang, so I kind of had to switch. **

**Don't worry, bros. Fang figures it out soon. It'll all be okay. **

**Review please! Tell me what you like, what you don't like. Tell me what you're **_**dying **_**to know! I've decided that if I've gotten at least fifteen more reviews by tonight, I'll update again. I know, you guys are so spoiled. **

**And SORRY this chapter was so, so incredibly short. My badd. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

When Fang woke up, Evelyn was already standing in front of him, smirking.

If this was where he got his smirk from, he never wanted to smirk again.

"Sleep well?" she asked. Fang glared at her.

"I'm willing to compromise, son," she said finally. He hated when she called him that. She only did it when she wanted to get under his skin. Maybe she liked the way he clenched his jaw in disgust. "If you do as you're told," she said, "I'll even let you see your precious little Max, _in person_. You could share this very room." She said it as if she were giving them the penthouse suite. Yeah, not even close. "All of them could be in here, if you'd like." She paused. "But you and Max have a lot of catching up to do, don't you?"

Fang shut down, like he always did when she baited him like that. He refused to respond, neither with words nor expressions.

"Just, consider me a protective mother," she said with amusement. "I want to meet the girl my son is dating."

_Son_. Fang had thought being Adam's son had been bad. But at least Adam had turned out to have morals in the end. Fang was sure Evelyn was rotten all the way through.

"So?" she asked finally, staring down at him.

Fang forced his eyes up to land on her face. "What do you think?" he snarled.

"You've made your choice, dear." She smiled tightly, then added, "For now."

The door opened and the other boy, Victor, carried in a tray with food on it. "Look," Evelyn said. "I even had someone bring you food."

She turned to look at him. "Come over here, Victor." He stepped forward until he was a few feet from Fang, and Evelyn's hand snapped out. "That's far enough, thank you."

Victor set the tray on the ground and turned wordlessly to leave. Evelyn stepped forward and unlocked one of Fang's wrists, then gave Fang one last look and left, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Fang didn't even try to crawl towards the food. He knew it was too far, just out of reach. He wouldn't be able to get it even if he stretched. That was Evelyn's favorite form or torture without actually having to do work. Ask him again, which he'd rather do: turn in the others or stay locked up as a prisoner with their lives on the line. He'd say no, and she'd deliver actual decent food that was hot and smelled delicious.

And he would sit there staring at it until it got cold and mice came out of the walls to eat it, right in front of him. While he starved.

His mom was so _cool._

It was the first hot food he'd seen in a month. The steam was rolling off it, the smell making him swallow thickly. But he refused to give Evelyn the satisfaction of watching him try to reach it, because she was no doubt watching him.

Until yesterday, Victor and Evelyn had been the only people Fang had seen. Then Dylan, and only God knew why he was there. Fang knew that Dylan hadn't liked him, but how could he not like him enough to do _this_? How could anyone not like someone that much?

Fang closed his eyes, trying to ignore his stomach. He was so hungry it hurt.

He felt like giving up. It would be such a relief to escape this…Such a relief to get out forever. But he couldn't give up. He couldn't let Max and the others down like that. He wouldn't.

He probably would've escaped a year ago if they had ever taken him out of the room, but Fang hadn't stepped out of the small cell since he got there.

He'd always thought his mother was a crack addict or a hooker. A teenager who had loose morals and was plainly focused on boys and money. One who'd wanted an easy way out of being a parent. He'd never thought highly of her, and when he imagined what she was like, it wasn't pretty.

But he'd never expected her to be an evil scientist.

The first week after he'd been kidnapped, Evelyn told him the story. Of how she took an internship at seventeen and found herself working with Adam Harrison. He had personally asked her to be apart of a fundamental project, one that would change the world. So, of course, she had helped.

Then, after her part was finished, she was fired. Dismissed. Cut off from the project completely.

But she just _had _to know what happened next.

Obsessive research and investigating had ultimately led her to this, running her own secret practice. Holding her son hostage. Eventually developing her own plan to change (read: destroy) the world.

One that rivaled Itex's failed plan. One that made the By-Half Plan look like a holiday.

Too bad Fang, the kid chained to a wall in the middle of freaking nowhere, was the only other person who knew about it.

• • •

It was the worst it'd been since the day they woke up and Fang was gone. And that had been almost two years ago.

The silence was so insufferable that Ella and Iggy got away for a few minutes. They stood outside the hospital, leaning against the rough, brick wall.

"This can't be happening," Ella whispered into his neck. "First Fang, and now Max… she has to wake up, Iggy."

Iggy wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close as her breath grazed his neck in the chilly autumn air. The wind blew her hair across his cheek and he took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

Losing Fang had been rough. It hadn't been like the last time, when there had been a note from him explaining why he was leaving and all. No, this time, it had been much, much worse.

He'd just been gone. He'd disappeared without any warning, without any signs that something was wrong. At first the flock had brushed it off, saying he went flying or something. Fang didn't answer to anyone, he did what he wanted. So they just went on with their daily lives.

Then, he wasn't home for dinner.

Or when everyone was going to bed.

Or the next day, for school.

Or after school.

Max kind of went a little crazy. She was frantic. She called all their friends, all the people she knew. She called Jeb. She tried to transport to him, but she never went anywhere. She couldn't talk to him in her mind. She stopped having dreams with him. She stopped having visions of what he was doing.

Fang had left his laptop, his phone, his clothes, his shoes, his backpack, everything. None of his stuff was missing. Max demanded they look for him, so they did, for weeks. Then weeks turned into months, and finally the flock decided that Fang was gone. Most likely dead.

Iggy blinked his unseeing eyes to erase the thought from his mind, and was thankful when Ella pulled him out of his thoughts by saying, "What's if she doesn't wake up?"

"Max is going to wake up, Ella. You know Max, she's just stubborn. It might take her awhile." He was trying to be gentle, humorous. Ella was shaking, her hand wrapped tightly around Iggy's wrist as she leaned into him, trying to escape the situation.

"I didn't even recognize her, Ig," Ella said so softly he barely heard her. Maybe, secretly, she hadn't wanted him to know how bad it really was. But he heard her.

"She'll be okay."

"Her face was so bruised and swollen…and they said her legs are almost too crushed to work…she could be paralyzed…"

"But she won't be paralyzed. She _will _wake up and when she does," he breathed, "her legs will be fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's Max."

Ella nodded finally, her face still pressed into his shoulder. He knew she was only accepting what he said in order to preserve a little piece of hope. But if all he could give his girlfriend was hope, then he'd give it in a heartbeat. Anything to make her stop shaking so violently. Anything to calm her down.

"Let's go back inside," he said, taking her hand.

When they reached her floor, Iggy heard Dr. Martinez faintly down the hall, talking to someone about Max's condition; probably a doctor or a nurse.

Ella led Iggy into Max's room, where the silence and tension were tangible. Nudge was sitting in the chair next to Max's still form, holding one of her hands. Angel was on the other side, concentrating hard, probably trying to reach Max on a mental level. Iggy and Ella went to the opposite side of the room from them. Iggy leaned against the wall and Ella rested her head on his shoulder. Gazzy and Holden sat at the small table in the corner. Everyone was silent.

Max's mom solemnly join the others after a while. She walked in, wringing her hands nervously as she looked around at them all.

Gazzy stood up and asked her what the doctor had said. He started pacing as they talked about what they were saying and what Max's catalogue of injuries was.

"He said it could take from hours to weeks to even months for her to wake up," Mom said, pulling Gazzy close to her side. "They just don't know right now, guys."

"Can you hear _anything _Angel?" Gazzy asked softly.

Angel shook her head, sitting back. "It's not like its empty or anything. It's just…like a permanent block. Her mind is there, I just can't get in."

"We can't lose her!" Gazzy said distraughtly. "Fang's dead and now Max is, too!"

"Gaz-" Iggy began.

Gazzy ignored him and moved to Max's body, glaring down at her. "How could you do this to us, Max?"

Holden stepped forward and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "She didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident."

"But Angel said-"

"So, Max got distracted. She messed up," Holden said. "But she didn't mean to get hurt, she didn't mean to hurt Nudge and Angel, either. It's going to be okay."

But at this, Gazzy seemed more frustrated. "We _can't _lost them both. We can't."

"Stop it," Iggy said. "We haven't lost her, okay? She's right here, and she's alive, isn't she? So just…be patient. Max is known for wasting time."

Gazzy sighed, looking up at Iggy, then back at Max.

Gazzy didn't know what to think.

All he knew was that Max had to wake up, before they all fell apart completely.

**A/N: So. Yeah. It gets better, yo. Trust me. **

**Review pretty please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I HAVE A NEW ONE-SHOT.**

**If you've read **_**IHOP**_**, my hidden chapter from **_**The Final Warning**_**, you should definitely check it out. It's a hidden chapter from **_**Max**_**. As requested. **

**If you HAVEN'T read **_**IHOP**_**…then, get your butt over there. It's totes awkward. **

**My new one-shot is called **_**Dilemma**_**. **

**[Summary for **_**Dilemma**_**: What did the Voice mean to accomplish, hurling heavy words like **_**soul mate **_**at me in a time of desperation like this? I mean, you don't just throw around the term **_**soul mate**_**. That's some pretty serious chiz. Like, big time. Fax. A lost chapter of **_**Max**_**.]**

**Anyways, thank you SO MUCH for reviewing! We already reached 100 reviews, and it's only chapter seven! I am amazed! SO, big special shout out to Animalover99. Girl, you go!**

**Also, thank you if you've favorited my story or moi. It's really flattering, guys. I feel so blessed that you guys are reading this… :)**

**Here it is! I **_**really **_**like this chapter, btdubs. **

_Huge trees surround the clearing where he stands, but all he really cares about is the woman standing before him. _

_He wants so badly to be with her. He wants to show her that he loves her, because he's been kind of lacking in that department for quite some time. _

_But he is not that selfish. Yet._

"_So this is how it's going to be for us?" Max demands strongly. She stands across the clearing, looking heartbroken. Her voice is so clear it hurts. "You, pushing me away?" _

_She steps closer, moving toward him until she is right under his nose and he has to control himself. She _knows _she's pushing him. She knows she's almost got him to his breaking point. _

"_Isn't that my job?" Max whispers jokingly, but Fang doesn't laugh. He doesn't move. He can't or else he might do something he regrets. _

_Max sighs. Fang wants to be that way, fine. But she isn't going to stand in front of him for one of the first times in two years and not hold him. She slowly pushes her arms around his stiff torso, pulling him down so she can look into his eyes. _

"_Where are you?" she mutters against his cheek. "Come home." _

_Fang shouldn't do it, but he does. He isn't thinking when he pulls her so tightly that her feet lift off the ground, and she grabs his face, and they look at each other for a brief moment. It's that thrilling moment they've both come to anticipate, when she is shaking slightly and he hovers centimeters from her lips, wondering if this is what she wants. Never does it cross his mind that this is dangerous. All he's thinking about is how much he misses being with her. He slowly moves closer and now it's agonizing how slow he's going. Max feels impatient, but she doesn't move to bring him closer. He's paying attention to her, finally. He isn't shutting her out. She wants this to last as long as possible. She wants this to last forever. _

_It should. It should last forever. Fang shouldn't have been taken from her. He shouldn't have been ripped away from them all. It wasn't fair, but it was life. And Max was going to make the best of the time she had with him right now. Whether he was "supposed to" or not._

_She lets her hands run over his cheeks and down his neck, making him shiver against her body. He tilts his head down just barely, but enough to graze her mouth, and that's all it takes. Max grabs him, deepening the kiss as much as she can, as fast as she can. _

_She feels like she's melting away in his arms…melting and melting until he slams her back against the nearest tree, slipping his hands down her waist and crushing her between his body and the rough bark behind her. She groans, pulling him against her, making him touch her, making his lips find her roughly. _

_Out of everything he's missed over the past two years, this is what he's missed the most. The way that she kisses him, the way that she pulls him closer and they mold together perfectly. She's breathing heavy and he's not breathing at all, and their bodies are hot and his mind is buzzing. For the first time in forever, he doesn't have to think. About anything. Anything but Max. It's desperate, and the in-the-moment passion overwhelms them both until it's just that - overwhelming feeling. He is reminded in moments like this that she needs him. Not nearly as much as he needs her - she'd never be that dependent - but she needs him and wants him. He loves her like crazy. _

_He remembers vaguely what the new conditions are, and how serious the consequences could be if he screws up again. _

"_Stop me," he murmurs, his fingers crawling up her shirt, his lips dancing against hers. _

_She pulls on him, egging him on, making him touch her and hold her. "Not a chance."_

"_Max-"_

_She grabs his chin, hard, and he looks up into her firm glare. "Shut up," she growls, smothering his lips and his protest with her mouth. _

_He rips his lips from hers again, hovering against her mouth. He says something, looking into her eyes. But he's fading, and she can't hear him clearly. He repeats himself urgently, his eyes boring into hers. _

_But he's gone and she's alone. _

_For Max, it's the worst kind of déjà vu. _

• • •

Just _once_, I wanted to be the one to leave Fang abruptly, _not _the other way around.

It was so aggravating.

I was drifting in and out of this weird, kind-of-awake state and then into a dreamlike state, without really any warning or pattern. The only person I could talk to was Fang, who seemed to want nothing to do with me. He was trying exceptionally hard to not touch me, whatsoever. Judging by his caution during our short make-out session, he wasn't _supposed _to touch me.

Like, what the heck, dude?

Plus, everyone else I wanted to talk to, I couldn't. Because I was in a coma. On my death bed. Whatever.

I stood by my mom. It was early the next morning, and she had forced everyone else to go get breakfast. She sat next to my body, holding my hand, watching me. I wanted to tell her I loved her, that I was still in there, somewhere. I wanted her to know I was okay.

The one thing worse than missing someone is having to watch them miss you.

"The doctors say we should talk to you as often as possible," Mom said. "I don't even know if you can hear me."

_I can. _

"They say that it could take a while for you to wake up. I don't want to rush you or anything, but you do what you gotta do and get your butt back here as soon as you can," she whispered.

I choked out a laugh, watching her. Without thinking, I reached out to touch her arm.

I went _right through her_.

My stomach dropped. I was completely isolated from everyone. Everyone except Fang, who refused to touch me or talk to me. So, like I said, isolated. How was I supposed to get myself out of this one? This was one obstacle I'd never experienced before. I mean, I've felt helpless before, a hundred times, but never like this. Never without hope of fixing it.

I looked up as there was a knock at the door. I couldn't see who it was right away, but then the balloons and flowers were lowered and I saw Aaron Camp and his girlfriend. Her name was Emily.

Aaron's eyes skirted right over me - oh, yeah, because he couldn't see me, because I wasn't real - and went to my mom.

"Hey, Dr. M," Aaron said softly.

He gently led Emily in, who looked out of her element. I'd only met her a few times; they'd started dating a few months ago. Aaron set the vase of flowers on the table in the corner. The balloons were tied around the neck of the glass vase. Emily stood back as Aaron moved forward and gave my mom a quick, comforting hug, then turned to look down at my body.

"Jesus, Max," he breathed, and reached down to grab my hand.

I wanted to hug him. I remembered the first day I'd met him, a week into school, freshman year. The day had just ended, and Fang and I were leaning against the lockers beside Iggy's as he got his stuff. Fang was holding me around the waist.

But that didn't stop Aaron from coming straight up to me and asking me on a date. I told him I wasn't interested, obviously, and so he looked _right _at Fang and said, "Do you mind? You're kind of scaring off possible clientele."

I swear, Fang was about to beat the crap out of him, but then Aaron had held up his hands and said, "Whoa, dude. I'm totally messing with you. You think I've been living under a rock? I know who you guys are. I read you blog, man. Nice stuff."

They were immediate friends.

I'm not shitting you. I _know_. Fang made friends with a guy who hit on me.

Miracles do happen.

After that Aaron was always around. Hanging out at our house until midnight, staying for dinner and sometimes breakfast. He kind of became one of us. The normal one.

And when Fang disappeared, the day after being with Aaron at the baseball game…He was around even more. The flock and I had gone off, looking for Fang, and Aaron had demanded he come, too, even if he couldn't fly or fight or anything.

"Aaron, Emily," Mom said, standing up. "You two should be at school."

"I have release first hour," Emily said, still not wanting to step too close to me. I didn't blame her one bit, judging on my appearance alone. "I don't need to be at school until eight."

Mom, I could tell, was expecting the same excuse from Aaron. But he didn't give her one.

"I need to be here, not school."

Before Mom could chastise him for not going to class, the others came in. Ella was carrying a tray of food for Mom.

"Hey, Aaron," Ella said softly after giving Mom the food. Ella pulled Iggy over to Aaron and they had a bro moment. The others silently greeted him.

I didn't understand why they were all being so quiet. It wasn't like they could _wake _me.

Ooh, look at the half-dead girl, cracking jokes.

I still got it.

_Focus, Max. This isn't a joke_, I told myself, glancing at my unrecognizable body. I really needed to snap out of it so I could set things straight. They thought I'd _tried _to get us in an accident? What, did they think I was suicidal? Just because I had been distracted, thinking of Fang? I hadn't meant to run the light.

They thought I was gone, thought I was asleep. But I was right here! It was the most frustrating feeling I'd ever had, and I was _not _coping well. Plus, this was only the second day.

I couldn't handle this for a few _days_, let alone a few _months_. Oh, God.

I tilted my head up and took a deep breath. I had to pull it together. This was my fault. It was my fault for putting them through this. I had to fix this myself, since I wasn't going to get anyone else to fix it.

I just had to figure out where to start.

How was I supposed to fight my way out of this one? It wasn't like I could do anything. I was, like, a ghost. I had no one to talk to, no one to help me out of this. Fang, but he wasn't acting right lately, and how the heck was he supposed to help me if he was MIA anyways?

_Hello, Max. _

Oh.

That could probably come in handy.

It must've been the fact that I was trapped in my own mind during this whole coma bullcrap. That was the only explanation I could come up with. Why else would I be able to talk to the Voice? I mean, the Voice was trapped inside my head, too, unfortunately. So I guess that made us roommates.

But then…Did that mean that Jeb and Harrison knew that I was still slightly aware of what was going on around me?

_Yes,_ the Voice responded. _That's what it means. _

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I almost shouted. I mean, no one could hear me anyways. And it was getting kind of lonely not being able to talk to anyone. "Come to the hospital and tell the others I can hear them! Tell them that I'm not completely gone! Tell them…tell them about Fang!"

_You aren't here because of your injuries, Max. _

"What?"

_There's a task you need to do while you're here._

"How the hell am I supposed to do _anything _like this?"

_Fang is in danger. You need to help him. _

How was I supposed to help him if he kept trying to avoid me? If he wanted nothing to do with me?

_You can't wake up until you do. _

I huffed. I could imagine smoke coming out of my ears. Jeb (or Harrison, they both talked down to me the same way, so it was hard to tell) was keeping me in a coma on _purpose_. Wouldn't you think I'd be more help, you know, _awake_? But apparently, I had a mission in my comatose state. To help Fang. Who wasn't able to touch me, talk to me, or really look at me.

Awesome.

"I want you all to go to school," I heard my mom say. I looked up. "Not just Aaron and Emily. You guys, too."

"Mom-" Ella began, and the others looked ready to protest.

"I'll call you immediately if something happens," Mom said, looking at them all. "But you're not going to sit here all day, waiting for her to wake up."

"I want to be here," Angel said. "What if I break through to her and can read her thoughts?"

"You can try again after school," Mom said. "Max would be furious if you put your lives on hold for her."

She finally got them all out of my room and she sat down next to my body again, sighing.

"Max, I know your stuck," she said softly, "but don't quit trying to come back."

Like hell I will.

I'm getting out of here, with or without Jeb's help.

I just had to figure out where to start.

**A/N: REVIEW. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I feel like I always greet my readers with: You guys rock!**

**Because you DO! The running count of reviews for this story is 127, which is, I admit, 126 more than I ever expected so THANK YOU. This is so incredible, and all the reviews are so uplifting and sweet…Ugh. I mean, the long reviews are definitely amazing, but it NEVER gets tiring seeing "Great job, update soon!" You guys rock. I don't know what else to say. **

**And, brownie points to those who went to check out my other stories, especially any of my one-shots. Dilemma, my newest one, is seriously a winner, imho. But, don't let me put words in your mouth. Go see for yourself!**

**So, another Fang POV. They're kind of depressing, but…I tried to put some subtle jokes in there to ease the angst. **

**Read on!**

Needles.

It was all about needles today. Each one filled with a different substance. Each one prompting a different, violent reaction from Fang's already-exhausted body. This one, though - the vile fill with blue, translucent liquid - was the worst so far.

It was pretty hard for him to double over since he was chained to the wall, yet still he managed. His body seized violently and he threw up, but since his stomach was empty he really just dry heaved until he was out of breath.

Fang had to give her points for creativity. Over the past two years, he hadn't experienced the same form of torture twice.

Impressive.

He couldn't breathe, which worried him slightly. Not a good sign. Why the _hell _couldn't he break these chains? What were they made of, for God's sake?

True, over the many months he'd been held hostage, Fang had begun to give up hope of getting out. It wasn't easy being optimistic when you _never _got to leave the room. Evelyn brought all the torture sessions to him. How thoughtful of her.

Another thing she did differently compared to the School was she never had anyone take notes. Everything she did was documented by camera.

Which was what Dylan was doing right now.

He held the camera as Fang struggled to catch his breath. Fang could barely see or hear, his body in immense pain, and in that moment he couldn't even remember what the torture had been today. But he knew it had not been fun.

Finally, he could hear her say, "That's good for today, I suppose."

She kneeled down and leaned close to him, her black hair falling over her shoulder and her eyes scanning his face, which was contorted in pain. "How you feeling, hun?"

Fang cursed her in his mind but said nothing, trying not to pass out.

"Look at your mother when she speaks to you," she spat, jerking his face up. "Whoever raised you neglected to teach you manners."

_No one raised me because both of my parents were whack jobs_.

"But that's alright," she said. "You're only seventeen, and I think I can still beat some conduct into you."

Well, she sure as hell had the beating part down. Conduct? Not so much.

"Dylan, sweetie, you can finish up here. I'll see you both in the morning."

She left. Dylan turned off the camera and set it aside. After staring at Fang impassively for a minute, he walked over and unlocked one of his arms - not gently, either. Then he went towards a cart in the corner of the room. From it he retrieved a bottle of water and a tray of food.

"You're a fucking wimp," Fang said, taking the bottle from Dylan's outstretched hand and gulping it down. For a second, his stomach seemed to want to reject the water, but he forced himself to hydrate. Who knew what tomorrow held, in terms of tormenting? Who knew how long it would be until his next drink of water?

These were the worries of a captive teenager.

Fang hadn't had worries like that in a long time. He'd gotten used to not worrying about anything. Maybe that was why the universe seemed to be getting a kick out of his pain. Maybe that was why he was here - so the universe or whatever could show him that he'll never be safe. Ever.

"I, unlike you, would do anything to keep Max safe," Dylan said lowly. "And that includes listening to what Evelyn wants."

"Even if it includes this?"

"Especially this," Dylan said quietly, as if he were almost ashamed of admitting it. Either way, they both knew that Dylan took joy in watching Fang suffer. Whether it was sick and demented, that was a different story. Well, it was nice to know _someone _was enjoying Fang's constant near-death experiences. "This is the icing on the cake. You're the whole reason Max kicked me out. The whole reason she rejected me."

Fang didn't respond to that. Not because he agreed - it was Dylan's own fault that Max had kicked him out - but because he didn't want to talk to Dylan anymore.

Dylan still wanted to talk, though. He set the tray down, but Fang refused to eat while Dylan was still in the room. Not if he was going to Evelyn that Fang'd fallen on the food like a hungry pack of Erasers. He didn't want either of them to have the upper hand - or at least, more than they already _did_. If he could have anything, it would be his stubbornness.

Don't let 'em get you down, you know?

"It's a better choice than giving Evelyn the okay to go out and kill everyone," Dylan said. "If it'll keep Max safe, then I'm willing to do it. Bringing Max here would be the safest for her. I could protect her here. I can't protect her out _there_. But in here…" He seemed to be talking more to himself now. Fang resisted the urge to use the last of his strength to kick Dylan in the face. He wondered if his foot, chained to the ground, would reach that high. Hm…

It was getting really irritating, having this guy pining after _his _girlfriend all the time.

"You're insane," Fang spat. Who in their right mind would think anyone could be safe here? Why would Dylan think that Max would be safer here than at home?

"Think about it. It's already been almost two years, and Evelyn won't wait much longer. She wants the others here, too. But if you refuse to help her…she'll just get rid of you all."

And what about Dylan? Did he honestly think that Evelyn liked him? That she would spare his life because he was doing her bidding?

He was wrong. Dead wrong.

"You have to choose, Fang. Sooner or later, you have to choose."

Fang had already chosen. He wasn't going to drag the flock out to this hellhole, no matter what. Who knew what would happen to them here? They'd all probably end up like him - weak, malnourished, and hopeless. Tortured everyday, or worse, killed.

He would never do that to them. Even if it meant dying, chained to that wall.

He didn't sleep, after Dylan left. He couldn't. Not if it meant facing Max again. Not if it meant hurting her more.

Plus, he knew Evelyn would supervise his dreams, just as she always did. He figured she'd somehow found a way to project his mind up on a big screen, and he knew she just got a kick out of watching his life fall apart.

Big Brother is always watching, right?

Except in this case, Big Brother was his mom. That was one messed up family tree.

Fang had to get out of there and set things right.

Before it was too late.

**A/N: Short, but again: I really like the next chapter. Soooo look for that tomorrow. **

**I'm writing a one-shot now as you read this. Probably will be up this week so keep an eye out for that. **

**Review and tell me what you think! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Fight scene! Woot woot! **

**Okay, read!**

The only good thing about being in an out-of-body experience was that I didn't get hungry, thirsty, or tired. It was like I wasn't really anything, I was just kind of…there. I was just invisible, watching my life happen around me as I lay unconscious in a hospital bed.

It had been only two whole days since I was put in the hospital. I'd still been drifting in and out of dreams, but Fang hadn't been in one since our last make-out session. I needed to see him, needed to figure out why Jeb wouldn't let me wake up. I had to find out where Fang was and what kind of trouble he was in.

I wondered what could've possible kept him away for two whole years. If it was a threat (though I doubted it was), wouldn't he have broken out by now? But, we'd defeated all the threats, hadn't we? Wasn't that the point of our mission, way back when?

And even if he'd been captured, why did our powers not work? Could it be because we're not close enough to each other? I mean, we'd never been states or countries away and tried our powers, so it was possible. But if being in close range had turned our dreaming powers back on, shouldn't we have been able to have our other ones?

Then again, even if I had my powers, none of them would work because I was unconscious. I only had my dream power because I was stuck in a state of catalepsy.

Anyways. Without the distraction of Fang, I'd learned a few things today. One, it got really boring when all you had to do to entertain yourself was sit around and think. Bleh.

And two, I could only be where my body was. I tried following the others home but couldn't leave the hospital room. So, exploration was off limits for me.

Today was Saturday, or at least that's what the board on the wall said. The nurse's name today was Jackie, so let's take a moment to appreciate my doctor's sense of humor.

Angel had still been unable to reach me, and though I kept trying to contact the Voice, it never answered. Right now, Gazzy, Holden and Angel were sitting with me. Nudge and Ella had soccer practice, which they would've skipped if my mom hadn't given them all a lecture about neglecting their lives and how I would be disappointed in how they were giving everything up to sit around my body all day. And she was right. I was glad she'd made then go. The others claimed they had nothing to do, so they sat around in my room silently. My mom and Iggy had went to get everyone dinner.

"Try again," Gazzy said, nudging his sister.

"I've already tried! A million times! Don't you think I would've heard her by now?"

"Hey," Holden said, walking over to them. "Don't fight."

Angel pointed accusingly at her brother. "He won't leave me alone!"

"Because you're giving up! She's giving up," he repeated, looking at Holden and then towards my body. His eyes moved right over _me_, though.

"I can't make her _think_, Gazzy," Angel said strenuously. "I can't make her think, and I can't wake her up!"

"Fine," Gazzy said, glaring at her. "Sit there and do nothing. Because it's not worth trying, Angel? Is that it?"

Tears welled in Angel's eyes as she glared at her brother. "I can't fix everything, Gazzy! I can't just _fix _her, okay? I'm not even the one who _broke _her in the first place! It's her own fault! She wanted it to happen!"

"No, I didn't!" I said, startled. But it didn't matter, because they couldn't hear me.

"Angel-"

"No," Angel said. "She's so _selfish_. She did this on purpose."

"Angel," I gasped. How could she believe something like that? How?

_Because it is true, isn't it Max?_

I was startled by the Voice's sudden input. Not surprisingly, the Voice would choose now to bombard me with fortune cookie gibberish. Of freaking course.

_Let them hear me! _I demanded in my mind. That way, I could clear up this whole mess, make sure they knew that it was really an accident. I needed to be able to talk to them. _At least let them _hear _me!_

_Max, it doesn't work that way. You have to figure it out._

I took a deep breath, watching Angel wipe her eyes disconsolately as Holden made both Gazzy and Angel calm down.

_What if I can't? _

That thought scared me more than anything.

I _had _to figure it out.

_Jeb? _I thought, but there was no response, and I honestly felt like crying. The room was uncomfortably silent as Holden handed Angel a tissue. Gazzy sighed, staring across the room at me.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's just…I wish I had a power that I could use to try to get her to wake up. I just thought…"

He sat down in the chair next to my bed as he trailed off.

"Sometimes, I feel like she's _there _but not thinking anything," Angel said. She went over to his and sat in the armchair with her brother, leaning against him. "Other times it's like she's blocking me, like, on purpose."

Well, this was new information to me. If it was like I was blocking her, maybe I just had to work on unblocking my mind, if I could. It doesn't matter how loudly I think to her if my mind is blocked, ya know?

"How long do you think she'll be like this?" Gazzy murmured. This time, though, he and Angel were both looking at Holden.

"Max will wake up when she's ready," Holden said softly.

"I'm ready!" I shouted. Maybe the universe would hear me or something. I'm not really sure how all this stuff works.

After a few minutes, I was pretty sure it didn't work _that _way.

Bummer.

The door to my room opened quietly and Iggy and Mom were carrying bags of take-out food. "Eating hospital food is getting ridiculous," Mom said as she started dealing out boxes.

Everyone sat around and ate for a while. Mom took the other chair near me as Holden and Iggy sat at the small table.

"You know what?" Iggy said quietly after a while of silent eating. "I can't even remember the last thing Max and I talked about," Iggy said finally.

Angel swallowed thickly, looking up. "I'd been complaining to her about some girl at school, Rachel. She apologized today for throwing spaghetti at me."

Gazzy set down his box, sighing. He was already finished with his sweet and sour chicken. "Well, I'd yelled at her that she was a jerk for not letting me go to Derek's for his birthday," Gazzy said softly. "It seems so unimportant now."

"I hadn't even talked to her in days," My mom said softly, looking down at the me lying in bed.

I sighed, watching them. I hated that I was doing this to them, even if it was unintentional. It wasn't like I wasn't trying to come back. It was just…I couldn't.

Mom set down her practically untouched food and reached forward, brushing my unconscious body's hair back. Then, her eyebrows furrowed and she brushed aside the collar of my hospital gown.

"What is…" she began, running her finger over my neck.

"What is it?" Iggy asked. The others got up and came closer to see what she was inspecting.

"This doesn't look like an injury from the accident," Mom said.

Finally, I saw what she had noticed. It was the hickey Fang had given me in my dream.

"Was Max seeing someone?" Mom asked quietly, looking up at the others.

Oh, _God_. If I weren't freakin' transparent I'd be blushing.

"Not that I knew of," Iggy said. Angel shook her head. Gazzy and Holden both denied knowing anything.

"That's not just some bruise," Mom said, examining it closely.

"It was Fang! He's alive! He's alive…" I said desperately. My words were only for my ears, though. It was all in vain. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get through to them. I chewed on my lip. _Jeb, please, let them hear me. _

But no, my efforts were still ignored. They all sat there, absorbing this new information.

Mom sighed. "Gosh, Max. What else were you hiding from us?"

And I learned something else.

I could still cry, even when I was just a dumb ghost.

• • •

_She's crying when he finally spots her. _

"_What's wrong?" Fang asks, grabbing Max's arms. Has Evelyn done something? Have they been attacked? _

_She sucks in a deep, shuddering breath and rips her arms out of his grip. She wipes her eyes furiously, sniffling. _

"What's wrong_?" Max repeated incredulously. "What's wrong is that you're ignoring me after mysteriously disappearing for two years! You, the one person I thought I could always count on! You're pushing me away, trying not to talk to me or touch me, because some woman won't let you! And you've been gone for years, but you won't even tell me where you are! I can't talk to the others, I can't take care of them, I can't be there for them! I can't even tell them you're alive because I'm in a freaking coma!" _

_Fang stares at her. _

"_That's what's wrong," Max says wiping her eyes again. "Plus, now they've seen this," she adds, pulling her shirt to the side roughly to show her neck, "and they think I've been secretly seeing someone else. Because we all thought you were _dead_." _

_He pushes her hair back from her face, wanting to comfort her and yet trying not to put her in danger. His fingers are gentle against her cheek and Max closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. _

"_The Voice said I'm not allowed to wake up until I help you," Max says softly. "_Let _me help you." _

_Fang still says nothing. He doesn't know what to say. Maybe it is safer for her, in a coma. Then she can't charge off into danger and get herself captured or killed. _

"_Fine," she says in response to his silence. He can see that she's trying very hard not to lose it. "Fine, be that way. But, tell me; how has the last year and nine months treated you? Because I can tell you right now, I've been in _hell_-"_

"_You don't know the meaning of hell," Fang finally snaps. Max glares up at him, giving him a shove. And he would've hit her back, but over the past two years Fang's been weakened and worn out and he couldn't hurt her, not now. _

"_Oh, now I suddenly don't know what suffering feels like? As if I haven't been tortured just as much as you have? Give it up, Fang. I mean, seriously. Don't pretend I don't know-"_

"_No," Fang says, deathly calm. "You don't know. I've spent the last two years on the brink of death. Electrocution, starvation…broken bones, blood loss, lethal injections…My God, Max…You have no fucking idea." _

"_At least you knew I was alive!" Max says harshly. "At least you didn't feel what I felt, in _here_," she said, poking him hard in the chest. _

"_You think I wanted this?" Fang asks. "I'm doing this for you! You have no idea what I'm doing for you!"_

"_Who is gonna hurt me, Fang? _Who _can I not handle?" she demands. Because honestly, Fang is making it sound like Max was up against the freaking devil himself. Who could be this bad?_

_A part of her wants to believe him, but another part of her is rational. They defeated the School. Ended it forever. The evildoers were locked up in jail for life and then some. The flock was supposed to be safe. Plus, if he were really being held captive, he would've broken out by now. Right?_

"_You're going to have to trust me," he says, trying to calm down. _

"_Well, golly, Fang. Shocking that I _can't_, huh? Especially considering all the times you've never let me down!" _

_That just pisses Fang off. All of the suffering he's done, all of the times he didn't give up because he couldn't _let Max down_…_

"_Max," Fang says, leaning close to her. She wants him to talk, fine. She better hear every damn word. "The only reason I'm still alive right now is because I forced myself to go on. No matter how badly I wanted to give up, I couldn't give up for you. Any of you. But, if that's how you feel, then I should've given up a long time ago."_

_Max's eyes widen. "Fang-"_

"_You don't know, Max," he says. He wants nothing more than for her to understand why he has to protect her by keeping his distance. He _needs _her to understand. "You think you get it. But you've never been through this before. It's suffering that you can't begin to imagine. It's being tortured daily in new, sick ways. It's being chained to the wall and kicked around for fun when the boss's back is turned. It's everything that makes you a person being _stripped away _from you until you're just an object. With no life, no privacy, no privileges, no shame."_

"_Who's doing it to you?"_

"_You won't believe it," Fang says. "I can barely believe it." _

"_Fang," Max whispers, her previous meltdown cooling off. He was talking to her, at least. Letting her in. And this was all new information that she could work with. "Let me help you. If it's anyone from the School, anyone that escaped or survived, we can figure it out together-"_

"_She isn't from the School," Fang says. "She isn't anyone we've ever encountered before."_

_Max stares at him. Then who…_

"_Then who is she?" _

_He stares at her. He knows he shouldn't tell her. _

_But he's tired of being told what he can and can't do. _

"_She's my mother." _

_Max's eyes widen to the size of tennis balls. She grabs his wrist and leans forward, her face shocked. "I thought your mom-"_

"_-was a teenager," Fang finishes blankly. "Yeah. She was nineteen. She volunteered for an internship at the School."_

_Max stares at him. "Then why…Why is she doing this now? Why is she doing all of this to you?" _

"_Because," Fang says. "Like every other scientist we've ever known, she wants to use us."_

"_Fang-" _

"_She's smarter than you think," Fang continues. "She's kept me captive for two years. Imagine what she'd do if we were all in her hands. That can't happen, Max." _

"_You can't just-"_

"_I can't?" Fang asks, looking down at her. She clenches her teeth. "Because, if I recall, you're the one in the coma. Looks like you're a lot more restricted than I am. And maybe that's a good thing." _

_Her fists curl. "So you're not going to tell me anything because you think I'm safer in a _coma_? Fine! Rot away in a freaking cell, if that's what you want! I don't care anymore!" _

"_Thanks for your permission!" Fang drawls sarcastically, practically spitting. Max gives him the finger. _

_Fang tries to force himself to wake up. _

_Max takes off running._

**A/N: Conflict is my middle name, yo. **

**So, if you hate Dylan…you're going to hate him a million times more over the next few chapters. Just an fyi before you buy. **

**You know the drill. Hit that button!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Haha so yesterday, I updated twice, right? And I was like, "That means I should get twice the reviews!" So I was super excited to read them and I got on my email on my phone, and I had NO EMAILS. I was like, "Why you hatin'?" **

**Then I went upstairs, and my phone **_**blew up**_**. I had like, depressed myself for an hour only to realize I'd been in an area of my house with no service. Lol. Dumb me. **

**Anyways!**

**Time to hate Dylan! This chapter and the next few are where the plot really comes out. Sorry it took so long…**

**THIS IS MY TENTH CHAPTER. You know what that means? EVERYBODY reviews!**

"My patience is quickly waning," Evelyn spoke lowly, deliberately. Dylan, who was sitting across the desk from her, nodded in understanding. Fang was just so selfish. Didn't he understand that Max would be completely safe here? Dylan only wanted to keep Max safe. He'd do _anything _to keep Max safe.

"You understand the importance of this mission," Evelyn said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Dylan nodded again, not speaking until he was allowed.

It _was _important. It was the only thing Dylan had ever been 100% sure of - other than the fact that he loved Max unconditionally. But even that played into _this_. His love for Max only made Evelyn's plan make more sense. He believed in this mission of Evelyn's because he loved Max and this was the best thing for her.

That's why Dylan was helping Evelyn. It was the best choice for Max. He would always, always do what was best for her. He'd die for her.

But Max didn't need him to die! She needed him to rescue her; to save her from the danger that was around her every day. Dylan hadn't seen it when he'd been around her, but Evelyn had shone the light on the truth: Max's life was dangerous. Being around the flock? Dangerous. Being with Fang? Dangerous.

Being _without _Dylan?

Dangerous.

"We're going to have to take a different approach," Evelyn continued. "Fang is quickly showing just how useless he can be, and honestly - I don't think he's a valuable asset anymore."

Dylan nodded yet again. Fang was damaged; he didn't make good decisions. He was no longer strong, no longer ruthless. He wasn't willing to do whatever it took to keep Max safe. That was not what Max deserved.

Max deserved Dylan. Someone who _was _strong, and ruthless. Someone who _could _make smart decisions.

Not Fang. Never Fang.

Fang needed to go.

That, admittedly, was another, _smaller _reason why Dylan was so in favor of this entire plan. He finally got to see Fang where he belonged - in a cell. Rotting away.

Dylan finally had power over him. And it felt really good - to watch him starve, to watch him suffer in pain, to watch him hate himself. Because he _should _hate himself. He was at fault for all of this. Everything. He deserved it.

So Dylan was only being righteous. He was just giving people what they deserved. Max, his undivided attention and protection. Fang, suffering and self-loathing. And himself…

Max.

She would be his. Finally.

"Maximum Ride is temporarily incapacitated," Evelyn said suavely.

Dylan didn't understand how he could trust someone like Evelyn so much and hate someone like Fang. They really were alike. Not only in their looks, but also in the ways they figured things out; the way they rationalized. Or, the way Fang used to rationalized. Dylan was sure that Fang's rational portion of his brain had crawled into a corner and died. Nothing about Fang was rational anymore. Just broken.

_Plus, Evelyn has a way of getting under people's skin, just like Fang_, Dylan thought wryly. She was good at covering her feelings and playing off the emotions of others.

But they were different, in a very big way.

Evelyn was a genius. Fang was a screw-up.

"I want you to take over this mission."

Dylan deserted his thoughts to focus on the woman before him. They were sitting in her office. This place, where they worked, was actually quite small. A place for Dylan to sleep, a place for Victor. A control room. An operating room. A lab. Evelyn's office.

Then, ten stories underground, Fang's cell.

Evelyn did not live in the building where they worked. Evelyn had her own home, her own life. But she was here, day in and day out (excusing Wednesdays and Saturdays) dedicated to her cause. It was very prioritized.

Evelyn's hair was, as always, straight and hanging down her back. It moved like silk when she turned her head. Her eyes were dark and angry - almost all the time - but right now she had a clever glint in them. Her hands were folded neatly on the desk before her.

Dylan shifted in his white lab coat. "Ma'am?" he asked tentatively.

"I believe you'll do anything for this project, Dylan," she said. "I need you to go in. Maximum Ride is in a coma, unconscious. Which gives you the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the flock. Once you're in, you can continue the second part of the mission."

"And Fang, ma'am?"

"I will take care of him."

The way she said it made it sound like he wouldn't be _cared _for at all. Dylan had to struggle to keep the smirk from his face.

"May I ask a question, ma'am?"

Evelyn looked at him intently.

"Are you going to kill him?"

She smiled, sitting up straighter - if that was even possible. Everything about her was always perfect, always neat and in line. Like her posture. And her plans.

She turned her chair around and looked out on the city. Yes, a city. New York, in fact. Dylan wondered momentarily if any of the civilians walking on the sideway below knew what this building was used for. He figured not, or else they would've been shut down a long time ago.

"Not yet," she said. "Not quite yet."

That was good enough for Dylan.

He wanted to be around when _that _happened.

He wanted to do it himself.

• • •

_Today's the day_, Dylan thought.

He would finally get to make things right between him and Max.

And he'd finally get to show them just how weak Fang was.

They would all feel so much safer when they got here. They would all finally be able to relax. Max would even be safe here, once she woke up.

And once Fang was gone, they'd all be able to live happily ever after.

Dylan put on his lab coat that hung on the hook by the door to his room. He was ready; he had dressed, and tidied his small room. He had a bed, a desk and a dresser. What more could anyone need?

He opened the door to his room. Dylan walked purposefully down the hall and made a right, then a left, then two more rights until he found himself at the stairs.

No elevators in this building. That would make for an easy escape route, if anything ever went wrong. But nothing ever went wrong, not here. It was too safe, too perfect here.

Down each flight of stairs, there was a sealed doorway. Beside the doorway was a keypad with a ten digit combination.

Dylan had memorized the numbers for each and every door his first week here.

_07-02-04-04-08-01-01-06-03-07._

The door slid open with an almost silent whoosh.

Dylan knew where everything was in the building. Evelyn's office was on the very top level, the only room on the fifth floor. The fourth floor was the operation room. The third was where Dylan and Victor lived. Second was the laboratory and the control room. The ground level was unused; to anyone who entered at the ground level, the building appeared to still be abandoned and shut down. And deep, deep underground was where Fang was kept.

_05-05-05-09-01-04-06-06-00-03_

Dylan also knew that today was Saturday, and that meant that Evelyn was not in. Victor was in the control room, keeping tabs on Fang's dreams and watching the cameras set up around the four walls of his dark room.

Dylan was in charge of feeding Fang today. Evelyn had given Dylan specific instructions to give him hot food today, and to unlock one of his arms. She also made it clear that the food be placed within his reach. No torture today.

_07-07-04-05-04-02-00-00-01-03_

After Dylan took care of Fang, he was to fly to Colorado. To St. Joseph's Hospital. To Max.

He'd waited two years to finally, finally be able to fly home to Max.

Dylan continued his trek down the stairs, opening door after door until he reached the triple-locked windowless doorway that led into the dungeon Fang was kept in. Dylan balanced the tray of food in one hand as he unlocked the door and typed in the pass code.

When the door slid open, Fang snapped awake.

Dylan clenched his jaw.

He hated the fact that Evelyn had given back his power to dream with Max. But, then again, that was what Fang deserved. To be with Max _only _in his dreams. Never again in real life.

Fang sat up groggily, trying to look alert and ready. The only thing Fang looked these days was frail and miserable.

Which was just fine with Dylan.

He promised himself not to speak to Fang today, no matter how much he baited him. Dylan was going to give him his food and then leave, without a word.

When Dylan unlocked one of Fang's wrist, Fang clenched his teeth and reached up, grabbing the collar of Dylan's shirt and pulling him down so their faces were inches apart. Apparently, Fang had recovered from the night of torture before. Too bad.

"I hope that bitch is happy," Fang growled.

Dylan remained cool and collected, trying not to punch him. It wasn't up to Dylan to discipline him.

"What? Bad dream?" Dylan taunted. He set the food down, more like dropped it, and it spilled on the floor. "Here's breakfast, mutt."

Fang shoved Dylan away and he stumbled, falling back. Fang scooped up some of his hot food and threw it at Dylan. It stung as it burned the skin on his neck and stained his coat.

"You fight back while you still can," Dylan sneered, wiping the food off his shirt. Off his pristine white lab coat. "Evelyn's sick of putting up with you."

"I'm getting out of here," Fang promised angrily. "And you're _dead _when I do."

Dylan was actually surprised; Fang hadn't threatened escaping in a while. His hope must've been growing lately. Dylan couldn't have that.

"You've been in _New York_, and no one's found you yet! What does that tell you? No one _wants _you to escape. No one cares about you. No one would care if you died, not even Max."

Fang leaned back against the wall. He didn't seem baited or discouraged by that information at all. He didn't say a word.

That was when Dylan realized his mistake. He'd let out a piece of top secret information. He'd told the enemy not only where he was being help captive, but also where the headquarters of Evelyn's plan was. He'd given Fang power over him.

Dylan couldn't believe himself.

He had messed up.

Angry, he shoved himself up off the floor and stepped on Fang's meal on his way out.

It was time for him to finish the mission, once and for all. It was time for him to go to Max.

And Fang could rot in hell for all he cared.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, I had a really sad thought today. Judging by how quickly this trilogy is going by so far, it'll be complete before summer. **

**And then I'll have **_**nothing **_**to work on! **

**I mean, I am writing an AU/AH story, but I dunno if it's a winner yet…and if I can't write, summer is gonna be **_**really **_**boring. I don't know. It just made me sad. So, if you guys ever have any ideas that you want turned into stories…I'm your gal. **

**Anyways. Sad thoughts aside. **

**We have 181 reviews!**

**Now, be honest with me: How many of you are reading and not reviewing?**

**This update is for all those faithful readers who take the time to review for me! You guys are incredible!**

I had as much power as the Queen of England.

Which, I had learned recently in a little thing they called school, was not a large amount of power by any means. I mean, the Queen couldn't even book a plane ticket without running it by Parliament first. Sucks to suck.

At least she could talk to people, you know? Well, no, I guess you don't know. Unless you're the Queen of England. In which case…why are you _here_, again?

"Hey, Max," Angel said, bouncing into the room.

I sat on the end of my hospital bed, watching the others file into the room. They walked over to my limp form and each said something to me before finding a place to sit. It was late, around eight o'clock.

My mind was still reeling, thinking about Fang and my fight. I couldn't believe how he was acting. I mean, I'd been near death, too. Hello, a bunch of freaking times! And he still thought that I couldn't understand?

I mean, yeah. It sucked that his mom was evil. But, a lot of other things sucked, too. Like the fact that he thought I was better off in a coma. A coma!

How could anyone be better off stuck like _this_?

I sighed. I just wanted to wake up. I wanted the others to stop worrying about me, I wanted to wake up and find Fang and bring him home, once and for all. I wanted us to all be together and safe again.

Why couldn't I have what I wanted, just this once?

_Sometimes things don't happen the way you want them to. _

"Thank you, Voice," I said. "Very helpful."

As if I didn't _know _that already. Pfft. If things were going the way I _wanted _them to, I would be fully conscious and with my family, with Fang. And I would not be in a coma, fighting with my boyfriend about stupid petty things like his near-death experiences and my comatose state. Ugh. Drama.

_Sometimes you have to make the best of a situation. _

Well, let's look at how I'd made the best of _my _situation, shall we?

My entire family was a wreck, worrying themselves sick about me and begging my unconscious body to wake up.

My mother thought I'd been living a separate life and getting up close and personal with a mystery man due to the hickey on my neck (thankfully it was quickly fading).

Fang and I were now not only totally blocked off from each other, but also at each other's throats about the fact that he wouldn't tell me anything regarding where he was.

And no one else knew that Fang was alive but me. And I was unconscious. Because my very-alive boyfriend wanted to keep me that way.

Yeah, I was coping very well with the situation at hand.

_Maximum. _

"What?"

_One thing I suggest you work on is patience. _

_One thing _I _suggest _you _work on is your annoyingness! _I though back with as much maturity as I could muster (which, let's be honest, isn't much).

The doctor came in and told mom that my legs had healed quite nicely and exceptionally quickly and I should be fine when I woke up, which everyone seemed really relieved about. He said everything else seemed in check, and that they'd still be monitoring me in my comatose state so they could watch for any signs of trouble. Mom thanked him.

On his way out, the door to my room opened. There stood the nurse and, behind her, someone I couldn't see.

"I wasn't sure whether to let him in or not," she spoke nervously, glancing at the doctor and then at my mom. "He said he was family."

I stood up, hoping it was Fang. Hoping somehow, some way, he'd escaped wherever he was and he had come home. He was back! He was here!

Was he?

Oh, God, was he?

"Oh, my God," Nudge breathed.

_Yes_!

"Hey everyone," he said, stepping into the room. He was inches in front of me, but he was looking right through my forehead, unaware of my ghostly presence. I felt dizzy. I felt sick.

_No_!

His eyes skirted over to where my body lay in the bed across the room. "I came as soon as I heard."

Mom recovered from her shock first. Her eyes examined him up and down from across the room, her face closed-off and distrusting.

"Dylan."

He was clean and healthy looking. He didn't look like he'd been living on the run for the past two years. At _all_.

So what _had _he been doing?

"What are _you _doing here?" Iggy demanded. He must've remembered, clearly, every word of the last fight Dylan and I had, before I'd kicked him out. If I were awake, I would be hostile toward Dylan. I guess Iggy knew that. So, he decided to be hostile for me. What a good brother. I'd slap him appreciatively on the back, if I could, you know, _touch people_!

Anyway.

"I saw, on the news…I can't believe it. A coma," Dylan said, looking around desolately. Nudge scoffed.

He just came back once he saw that I was hurt? He just…decided to come back into our lives _now_?

"How is she?"

"How does she _look_?" Gazzy deadpanned, putting on a tough face. I wanted to hug him. Yet again, no can do. Ajsgyfnmuktdfb-

"Is she…still…"

"She's still in a coma," Ella said. She seemed less standoffish than the others. "She hasn't woken up since the accident."

Dylan nodded. I followed him as he walked over to my body, picking up my limp left hand. "Oh, Max."

Then he touched the ring on my finger and looked up.

"Where's Fang?" he asked reluctantly, looking around. "You'd think he wouldn't leave her side for one minute."

None of them, thankfully, told him about Fang. "Where have _you _been?" Angel asked. I wondered why she was even asking - could she not read his mind?

"Moving around, place to place…Recently I was in New York. I don't want to talk about me," he said. "It was a mistake leaving. I shouldn't have done it."

New York? Jeez. The kid gets around.

"Max made you leave," Iggy pointed out, his eyes narrowed with mistrust.

"I shouldn't have," Dylan insisted. "She needs me."

"No, I don't!" I said. This was ludicrous. He needed to go.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Please forgive me."

I wasn't sure if he was talking to my body or the others. Everyone was silent.

"So? Where's Fang?"

I chewed on my lip. Grudgingly, Ella said, "Fang…died."

"_No_, he didn't," I sighed, sitting down. I went on ignored. Dylan looked around at everyone, then back down at my body.

"How?"

"Well, he disappeared two years ago," Gazzy said. "We know he's dead. We lost all contact with him. Max lost all her powers."

"Oh," was all Dylan said.

Oh?

This entire situation suddenly felt really off to me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something wasn't right. Something was _just not right_.

"Do they know when she's going to wake up? An estimate?"

"The doctors say that there's no brain damage causing her to stay comatose," Mom said slowly. "They've never seen anything like it."

"They said it could be months," Iggy added quietly.

"And there's nothing they can do? Nothing at all?" Dylan asked.

"What? You suddenly care?" Holden asked. "I didn't know you very long, man, but you seemed pretty selfish, if you ask me. What's your agenda?"

"I don't have an _agenda_," Dylan said testily. "I'm here for Max. Like someone else said he would be. But notice he's _not _anymore."

"Don't you dare talk bad about Fang!" Nudge cried suddenly. "You have no right!"

"Well, he ran off again. I was right - again. I should've stayed."

I watched this scene unravel before me and I wished they could all see me so I could put a stop to this madness. Fang hadn't left me on purpose! He'd been taken! And he wasn't dead!

_I swear, if I hear "Fang's dead" one more time…heads will roll._

"You need to go," Mom said, putting her hand on Dylan's arm.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. He'd noticed he must've gone too far, attacking Fang like that. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

He trailed off, looking down at me, the me in the bed.

"Do you think she can hear us?"

"If she can, she's probably pissed that you're trash-talking her fiancée."

Oh! Way to _go _Iggy!

The word fiancée, as expected, seemed to smack Dylan in the face. He went rigid, his jaw stiff.

"I need to be here for her."

"You need to go," Mom said again, this time with a grim tone in her voice. "It's late."

Dylan didn't say anything. He slowly backed away from the bed and looked around at the others. Then, silently, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"That was weird," Nudge said finally, looking at the others.

"Does anyone else think it's odd that he just showed up out of no where, for the first time in two years?" Gazzy mumbled.

"He'd seen it on TV, he said," Nudge continued. "Where's he been all this time? Did he, like, get a house or something? Where'd he get the money?"

"Maybe he got into the shady industry," Iggy joked.

"Car sales?" Gazzy asked, his eyes wide.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm serious!" Nudge said earnestly. "Two years is a long time to be on your own without money." We would know.

"I couldn't read his mind," Angel said finally. Everyone looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Usually, when she said something like that, I'd start interrogating her. Everyone else just waited.

"He wasn't blocking me - only you guys have really figured that out. Dylan doesn't know how. He was constantly repeating random things in his head."

"Like what?"

"Mostly stuff about Max, sometimes weird sayings or songs. He really didn't want me in his head," Angel said. "When we asked him where he'd been and started talking about Fang, he got really nervous."

"He didn't look surprised when we told him Fang was gone," Gazzy added.

Holden then spoke for the first time since he'd told off Dylan: "He knew she was in a coma."

Everyone turned to focus on him. His face was full of sudden realization.

"What?" Ella asked.

"He already knew she was in a coma," Holden explained slowly. "No one else knows about that except for us and the doctors and nurses here. All we told the public was that Max was in critical condition."

"Someone must've leaked," Iggy said with disgust. "A doctor or nurse."

But I didn't think so. Holden had got me thinking. And this all seemed way, way bigger than some nurse with a big mouth.

**A/N: Huh! What **_**is **_**that boy up to? **

**So, um, go read my one-shots, yo. Tell me what you think!**

**Review! :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: It's Spring Break for me, and there's **_**twelve inches **_**of snow outside. **

**Missouri Girl Probs. **

**Seriously, though. Only two channels are getting through and the power is sketchy. Be thankful I could get online. **

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS. Two hundred and one! I'm so ecstatic!**

_She sits there, her feet hanging off the cliff. She kicks her legs. A rock crumbles off the rock wall somewhere below her and tumbles down the steep side of the cliff until she can't see it anymore._

_Fang pulls her to her feet, looking down so his eyes are locked with hers. Max stares up at him. _

"_I'm sorry," he says softly. He pushes back her hair and grabbing her hands. "About…all of it." _

_He's sorry about that last night they had, that he threw away to hang out with Aaron. He's sorry about letting himself get kidnapped. He's sorry that they fought. He's sorry. _

_It feels good to hear that. _

"_I know," Max murmurs. She tentatively pulls him close, half expecting him to push her away and say he "couldn't". He doesn't. _

"_Screw Evelyn," he says into her hair, making her shiver. "I love you. Okay, Max? I love you." _

"_Who's-"_

_Fang kisses her, pulling her close. He hopes Evelyn is watching. He hopes she's furious. _

_Max pulls her mouth away from Fang, gasping, touching her tingling lips with her fingers gently. "Who's Evelyn?" she breathes heavily._

"_That's her name," Fang says shortly. His mom, Max realizes. That's her name. That's the name of the woman who took Fang away from her. _

"_Can she see us? Here, I mean."_

"_Don't know," Fang says quietly. "Think so." _

_Max grins, grabbing his face. "Let's give her hell." _

_Fang smashes his mouth to hers, eliciting a small sound from the back of her throat. Their mouths open to each other in seconds. He's missed doing this for the past few years. It feels good to hold her again. He's going to tell her everything. He's going to get back at Evelyn for all the crap he's gone through. He doesn't care if he gets tortured for hours for it - he refuses to die having lied to Max. He will not die a liar. _

_Fang hadn't been visited by anyone all day, since Dylan brought him food in the morning. No visit or torture session from Evelyn, no Victor, no Dylan. It was silent. Usually he at least heard from one of them over the intercom. At least. _

_But no. Today had been uneventful. _

_His fight with Max, it had opened his eyes. He didn't want to fight. He wanted to help her help him. Max was capable of anything. He couldn't keep trying to protect her, he couldn't try to keep her away from danger. Well, he could _try_, of course. But it would never work. Did he really think she was going to give up? Did he really think she'd just let it go? _

_It is always better to team up with Max. Working together will always, _always _be the best choice for them. _

_So screw Evelyn. Screw Dylan. Fang's getting the hell out of here. _

_Max's mouth moves against Fang's desperately, as if she's afraid he's going to come to his senses and pull away from her. She's pulling at him, and she makes his arms wrap around her. She holds the back of his neck and presses herself against him, holding herself to him, kissing him with a maniac's kind of enthusiasm. _

_Fang. _

_She will never, ever get tired of Fang. _

_The fact that Fang hasn't been ripped out of their dream yet shocks him. He figures if Evelyn was seeing this…she would've pulled him out minutes ago. _

_But here he is, kissing his girlfriend and holding her and not holding back for once, and Evelyn isn't doing a damn thing. _

_It's about time. _

_Somehow they lower themselves to the ground. She's leaning over him, her hands in his hair, and his palms rest on the small of her back. Max pushes his shirt off, kissing his jaw. Then she leaves a slow, warm kiss on his throat and she feels him swallow. His hands grip her tighter. She wants her shirt off, and he does, too._

_Max leans back, breathing heavy. _

"_I have to tell you something," she gasps out, blushing down at him, "You won't believe it."_

"_What?" he asks, still holding her. He reaches up to push her hair back so he can see her face. _

"Dylan _showed up today," she says. As his eyes widen, she nods. "I know! Crazy, right? He said he's been traveling around for the last two years, just -"_

"_He's dangerous." _

"_What do you mean?" she says and tilts her head, not understanding. _

"_Max, you can't be alone with him. Crap. He works for Evelyn now." _

_He sits up and she scoots off his lap. She stares at him. "You're just now telling me this? Seriously?" _

_Then she realizes, _duh_. This is the first time he's talked to her and actually supplied her with information since he's been gone. _

_Her fists curl. "Dylan? A traitor? Are you _sure_?" _

"_Yes, I'm sure," he says, furious. "He works for Evelyn, Max. He works here."_

"_New York?" She doesn't know why she guesses New York, out of everywhere. The place is just in her mind, for some reason she can't remember. Jesus, kissing Fang is truly distracting. _

"_How did you know that?" Fang asks seriously. _

_Then Max remembers. _

"_That's…where Dylan said he'd been for the past few months." _

_Fang's eyes harden and he pulls her to her feet. _

"_He's going to hurt you. You can't be alone with him." Fang says. "You have to wake up, Max."_

_And before he can say anything else, she's done just that. _

• • •

It was late, in the hospital room. I stood there and for a second before I noticed that there was only one person in the room with me. I glanced up at the clock. It was early.

"It's a good thing that everyone thinks Fang's dead," he mumbled. His hand was gripping my limp one. "It's good. Good for you. That way, you won't be upset when we actually kill him."

I gasped. It was Dylan. Where were the others? Why weren't they here? How had Dylan gotten back in?

_Kill _Fang?

Suddenly, this was all so real, so much bigger than I'd thought.

"It'll be okay," Dylan said softly. "We'll get out of here soon. And then we can be together."

I crept closer, so I was standing across the bed from Dylan. His eyes were closed and his voice was soft, his knuckles white as he gripped my hand in his.

"Evelyn says that when you and the others arrive, you and I can be together. She told me I deserved to be with you."

Well, isn't Fang's mom somethin', eh? I wanted to spit.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"I'm not stopping you," I mumbled. His secrets could only help me more with finding Fang.

But, they could also help me feel sicker and sicker.

Dylan was evil? A traitor? Was it because I'd kicked him out? Did he want revenge that much?

"Once we get back to New York," Dylan murmured, "Evelyn wants to auction off the others for military use. Not all of them. Probably just the boys. She wants the girls for research. They'll all have a purpose. And you and I…"

My breath caught.

Where was the Dylan I'd known? Where was the Dylan who was as repulsed by scientists as I was? As he said all of this, as he confessed to my unconscious body, he didn't even react to the sick words coming out of his mouth. I, on the other hand, wanted to throw up. I wasn't sure if that was possible or not, for a ghost to throw up. Hmm…

"Evelyn is going to change the world, Max. She's going to make it a better place for us."

Dylan's eyes opened and he smiled down at my body, reaching up to stroke my cheek.

"Who are you?"

Dylan stood up quickly, dropping his hands to his side. He sighed in relief when he saw it wasn't the flock.

"I'm Dylan," he said.

"_Dylan_?"

It was Aaron.

"Dylan, as in the kicked out, wannabe member, _Dylan_?'

Dylan's eyes narrowed. "And who are _you_?"

Aaron quickly stepped into the room.

Okay, side note about Aaron. He wasn't a super kid or anything. He didn't have powers. But Fang and Iggy had taught Aaron how to fight, and after Fang had disappeared me and Ig had continued teaching him the ins and outs of combat.

So when Aaron punched Dylan in the face, well, my heart swelled with delight. That was a _flawless _right hook, btw.

Dylan snarled, touching his now crooked, bleeding nose, and swung at Aaron. But Aaron had three of the best fighters as his personal trainers, mind you.

Oh, my God. I just wanted to hug Aaron when he punched Dylan again.

Was it bad that I was actually giddy with happiness at the sight of their fighting? Or, more appropriately, at the sight of Aaron's _winning_? I smirked to myself.

I'm pretty sure that even if I was awake, I wouldn't have stopped them.

The door to my room opened suddenly and I saw the flock and Mom standing there, looking at the two in shock.

"Aaron?" Ella asked in surprise.

"Dylan?" Nudge said.

Iggy moved forward and pulled the two of them apart. Mom grabbed Dylan's arm and thank God he knew better than to mess with my mother. Instead, he roughly wiped his wrist under is nose to catch the blood.

"Do we need to call security?"

"What the heck is he doing in here?" Gazzy asked.

Aaron, who was breathing heavy, shook his fist out to unclench his muscles. "I came in and found him next to Max's bed. Found out he was _Dylan_."

Yeah, Fang or Iggy must've told Aaron _all _about Dylan.

Mom pushed Dylan out into the hallway, following suit. The others stood, crowded in the entrance to my room, murmuring amongst themselves. Iggy made sure Aaron was okay.

Damn right he was okay! He just kicked Dylan's ass! I was so proud of him.

Angel stepped forward from all the others, looking down at my body curiously.

"Aaron?" Angel said cautiously.

He looked down at her. "What's up, kiddo?"

Usually, Angel hated it when Aaron called her that. But we didn't hear a _I'm not a kid! I'm nine! _from her this time. Instead:

"Aaron, Max thinks you did a good job."

The others all rushed over to my body. I followed, too - what was going on?

_Angel! _I thought desperately. _Can you hear me?_

"Max?" Angel's voice was nervous, frantic.

_Angel, _I thought. _It's me, honey! _

Angel pulled on Iggy's wrist. "I can hear her!"

I looked down at my body. How was this happening? _Voice? _

But I got no response. Then, I realized - I had figured out how to help Fang.

Fang was in _New York_.

And Evelyn was planning on capturing us all and doing God knows what…

"She's…she's thinking things about Fang…and some girl…I don't know…" Angel stared down at my body, trying to get more of my thoughts.

"Fang's alive!" I shouted. Then realized, duhhh Max, they can't hear you talk just your _thoughts_, idiot.

"It's getting fainter," Angel cried.

So I thought frantically, _Fang's alive!_

"Max?"

_Angel?_

"I…I can't hear her anymore," Angel whispered.

Well that was just _so not cool_.

I closed my eyes. "Let me out of here! I know what I need to do now! I'm ready!"

_Yes, Maximum. I believe you _are _ready. _

Whoever was in my head chuckled at that one.

**A/N: ****Not**** my best work…**

**Review! **

**Tell me: How you feel about the story and what you'd like to see!**

**And: Any ideas you'd like to challenge me with for a story or one-shot? I'd be happy to write ya'll something!**

**Also: What's the weather like where **_**you **_**are? **

**Because it's snow-storming like crazy here in MO.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay. I have been such a sucky author lately. Yes, I've been updating like the plague is flying in with grandma, but I haven't been responding and there are so many of you that I want to thank and shout out to but I really, **_**really **_**don't have time right now SO.**

**officiallydana: I want to write a Post-Nevermore soooo bad. But I just don't know how to work with that. The ending was so sketch. And I simply don't have a good idea for that right now. But if I do figure it out, I'll write you one. Deal? **

**ANYWAYS. Thank you SOOO much for the reviews, you guys are incredible and so supportive! **

**I have a new story. Gee, if I had a nickel for every time I said that…It's titled **_**That Moment When**_**, and it MAY not be a two-shot. I'm not sure yet. Either it's a two-shot or it will be a collection of one-shots. **

**[Summary for **_**That Moment When**_**: That awkward moment between birth and death. Fax.] **

**Seriously, go read it right now. This crappie chappie can wait, fo sho. **

**Also…you know how I said I had no ideas for another story? **

**I have an idea for another story. **

**And I'm not saying it could be a winner, but…It could be a winner. :)**

**Okay!**

"She was trying really hard to get me to hear something," Angel went on miserably. "I couldn't make it out, though."

"It's alright, Angel." That was my mom, her voice soft and soothing.

"No, it isn't!" Angel cried.

"Hey," Iggy said softly. "At least you heard her."

"Yeah, Ange," Nudge said, sounding on edge. "She'll probably wake up soon."

Well, I sure as heck hoped so. This whole _coma _business was really getting inconvenient. Why couldn't I see them anymore? What was going on?

And then it hit me.

I was in a lot of freaking pain. I could feel fire shooting through my body, traveling up and down my spine. My legs were aching, my chest constricted with a sharp pain every time I breathed. My head was exploding. Which only meant one thing.

I was in my body again.

About _effing _time, am I right?

Slowly, carefully, I opened one eye. The brightness of the room made me flinch. I reached up a slowly, shaky hand to shade my eyes from the white lights of the room. I cursed out loud, in front of God, my mom and everybody, looking up into the blinding bulbs of light.

"Max!"

Angel fell onto me, hugging me tight. I felt tears on my face - hers. I slowly lowered my arm to wrap it around her waist. Every movement hurt, every breath hurt. But I was here, back with my family, and I didn't care that I felt like my body was being ripped apart by rabid animals. Okay, I cared a _little_.

I tried to speak, and I immediately ended up coughing up a storm. Nudge lurched forward, pulling Angel back a bit and holding a glass of cool water to my lips. I took a few slow drinks, swallowing carefully. My eyes darted around the room.

When Nudge finally lowered the glass, every pair of eyes was staring at me. I looked up at them all. Looks of relief and happiness were on every face, which was refreshing. It had been getting really gloomy in Maximum Ride land.

I let out a deep sigh and then suddenly everyone was on me at once. Mom was hugging my shoulders, Nudge was gripping my hand, and Aaron kissed my forehead and laughed heartily in my ear. Ella and Gazzy finally broke through the sea of faces and greeted me, too.

"Max, you're awake!"

No _shit_, kiddo. You don't say?

"Hey, little man," I said, ruffling Gazzy's hair. And though he's "eleven now and totally too old for that", he let me. A grin was plastered on his face.

"You have so much explaining to do, it's not even funny," Iggy threatened quietly, but his arms squeezed me around the waist. I had to hold back a squeak of pain. He realized I was uncomfortable and loosened his grip a bit, but still hugged me close.

"I know," I said finally, when everyone finally pulled away from me. "We have to go save Fang."

Now, I admit. After a few days of being in a coma, I understand that maybe I should've started off with something better than that. They stared at me, unsure of what exactly to say. All of their faces fell and they all quieted. Iggy moved forward toward me.

"Max," Iggy said. "Do you not remember?"

Oh, God. They thought I'd lost my memory. That was like, the last thing I needed.

Fang's not dead," I said steadily. "We were wrong. I've been talking to him, trying to figure out where he was. He's in New York."

"You've been…talking to him…" Aaron repeated, watching me worriedly. I think he thought I'd imagined being with Fang in the coma. I almost face palmed. This was not going as I'd planned my glorious resurrection would.

"Max…" Iggy trailed off, obviously on the same mind-track as Aaron.

"I'm serious," I insisted. "Really."

Nudge wrapped her arms around herself. "But why? Why would he be in New York?"

Then, realization dawned on all of them at once.

"Dylan said he had been there, too," Holden said quietly.

Oh, I had so much explaining to do that it wasn't even cool. I sighed.

"I know. Something bad is going on and I'll fill you all in later," I said. "When can I get out of here? Huh?"

Everyone stared at me as if, well, I'd just grown another head, and it resembled Honey Boo Boo's mom.

Yikes. That's one mutation I don't want. Am I right?

Anyways.

"Max," Ella began slowly. "You just woke up from a coma. You can't go anywhere."

"Well, that's ridiculous," I said, hoping she was kidding. "I have stuff to do."

Aaron snorted and I resisted the urge to flip him off.

"Don't you feel hurt? At _all_?" Nudge asked in astonishment.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck," I said. "But that doesn't mean-"

"You _did _get hit by a truck," Aaron said with a small grin. "You gave us all a heart attack, by the way."

I swallowed. I _had _given them all a heart attack. And it wasn't fair, but it wasn't my fault. Okay. It had _sort _of been my fault, but not really. My fault for the accident? Yes. My fault for not being able to wake up? No. I looked around at all of them, showing real, genuine smiles for the first time since the accident, and the guilt that I felt just got heavier. I'd kept them from smiling for _days_. What kind of mom was I, huh?

A _terrible _one.

"I didn't mean to get in a wreck," I said finally.

"What happened?" Mom asked. Her hand was holding mine. The one with the IV drip in it.

"The night before the accident, Fang and I shared a dream. For the first time in years, Mom. And my neck…" I trailed off. I reached up to rub the spot where Fang had left the mark on my skin. Everyone watched me. "I was thinking about my dream when I ran the light. I wasn't focused."

"It's okay," Angel said.

"No it's not," I said, brushing back her hair. "But I'm glad you and Nudge are alright."

"Fang's really alive?" Gazzy asked, his eyes lit up. I smiled at him.

"Really," I said, avoiding everyone's heavy gaze. That was something really dark and deep that I did not want to talk about right now. I did not need to ruin everyone's mood by telling them about Fang and all his troubles. "Where's Dylan?"

"How did you know Dylan was here?" Iggy asked, his sightless eyes focusing on the wall above my head. Hey, better high than low.

"I've been here the whole time," I admitted. "An out-of-body experience, I guess. It got really annoying, not being seen or heard, by the way."

They laughed at that.

"I saw you deck Dylan, Aaron. _Nice_. Who taught you how to fight?" I teased.

"Only the best," Aaron said from beside me. I smiled. He added, "Fang's a pretty kick-ass teacher."

I scoffed. "Uh, who do you think taught _him_?"

Aaron grinned at me.

"Dylan's in the waiting room down the hall, calming down. I made a nurse look at his nose," Mom said.

"Dylan's bad news," I announced to the room, as if they didn't already know. "I don't know what's going on, but Fang told me we can't trust him. Until we know where to find Fang, though, we play along. Got it?"

Everyone around the room nodded. I knew they thought I was being vague, and I was. Hell, I hadn't even told them Fang had been kidnapped yet. But honestly, I didn't feel like talking nonstop right now. I felt like resting up and then getting the hell out of the hospital.

I was so proud of my flock. They had no idea what was going on, but they were so trusting of me. I'd just woken up from a coma and started telling them random pieces of information and they believed me without a doubt.

My little troopers. Maybe they were freaking _insane_, but that was okay. They were _my _freaking insane little troopers.

"No one goes anywhere alone with him. We all pretend nothing's going on. Okay? He could help us find Fang."

And a plan, a _real _plan, started forming in my head…for the first time in years.

I was back to making battle plans.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

**A/N: Well, so, Max is awake. **

**Coming up?**

**-Max yells at Aaron **

**-Max and Ig have a nice little heart-to-heart. We all love those. **

**-Dylan goes more insane. I know, right?**

**-Fang starts messing shit up for Evelyn. **

**Reviews are mandatory for the next update. How about 260?**

**Just…just…okay? **

**And go read **_**That Moment When**_**, now a two-shot. Maybe more. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: You guys brought me way past 260, so thanks a billion. Sorry, I wasn't home to update yesterday or most of today. But, here I am. Enjoy!**

"I feel fine," I insisted through gritted teeth. They'd taken the casts off my legs yesterday, and I felt good to go.

_Not_.

Truthfully, my entire body was still aching desperately. But I had to get out of the hospital. I'd already wasted enough time, sleeping through the night and such. Fang needed us, and we needed to stop Evelyn and her plan and whatever it encompassed. The others stood, obedient and silent by the door, as I'd instructed them to. Mom was at work, which meant she wasn't around to chastise me for challenging the doctor and physically threatening one of the nurses.

My bad.

Apparently, Dylan had left the hospital after Mom had made him leave my room last night. Which, I really didn't care, but I'd rather I had him in my sights at all times, knowing he was a traitor and all.

The doctor glanced around the room incredulously - probably wondering why they were all going along with this when I obviously _wasn't _fine - and then looked back at me.

"Yesterday," he said, "you were in critical condition. In a coma. On your _death bed_."

"It happens," I said.

He gave me a look. "Max, I think it would be in your best interest to rest and give your body more time to heal before running off to do something strenuous."

"Don't worry, doc," I said with a saccharine smile, "I won't be doing anything strenuous." I heard Aaron snort at that, but ignored it. Iggy rolled his eyes behind the doctor's back.

Strenuous? Not this girl. I'll be taking it nice and easy, relaxing.

Except for, you know, flying across the country and fighting an evil scientist and whatever back-up she's got so I can help my boyfriend escape and save the world from impending doom _again_.

Just normal recovery stuff.

"I know that you aren't taking me seriously," he said, "but you could still be injured."

"I feel great!" I said. Just to show how _great _I felt, I sat up quickly, pushed off my covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I stood up and almost immediately fell down again. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay upright. "See?"

The doctor opened his mouth again, and Nudge covered her eyes as if waiting for someone to get hurt - me or the doctor, I wasn't sure. Before anyone could say or do anything, I heard:

"Maximum Ride, get your butt back in that bed."

I sighed.

"Really? You called my mom? _Really_?" At my death glare, my doctor held up his hands in surrender.

Mom walked into the room, saw me standing, and turned to look at the doctor with a glare almost identical to mine. "I told you she was to stay in bed no matter how _great _she felt."

Sometimes, I was amazed at how much my mom knew me.

"Well, she-"

"Who's the doctor here, Mike?" Mike was his first name; Mom knew him personally and that was partly why he was my doctor. "You or Max?"

"Don't _bully _him into keeping me on bed rest! I feel fine!"

"Max, Fang has been gone for two years and he can stay gone for another day! It won't kill him!" Her gaze was firm and her eyes were dead serious.

Her words, though…they cut right into me.

Another day _could _kill him. We all knew that.

Last night, I'd explained more about what was going on with Fang. I'd kept it vague, but everyone had seemed to agree that we needed to leave as soon as possible, before Fang's mom could do any more real damage. Because she _was _capable of it. She had contained Fang himself, which was a huge feat.

"That's not what I meant to say," Mom said softly, her voice full of apology. "But you're not fully healed, and you'll be no help to him unless you're back to 100%. Okay? Give it one more day."

But I didn't have one more day. "Mom-"

"Promise me that you'll stay here, just until tomorrow. I'll even sign you out myself first thing in the morning. Just rest today, honey."

Mom's eyes pleaded with me, and I glanced at the doctor and then at the others, all watching me with various expressions.

"Fine," I said.

Mom stared at me.

"I _promise_!" I insisted. I slowly sat back down onto the bed.

"I just don't want you to exhaust yourself. Okay?" Mom came over and kissed my cheek. "I'm going to work. I'll see you tonight."

I sighed, nodding, resting my head on the pillow. The others slowly sat down around the room, figuring that I was serious and we were staying.

A few minutes after Mom left, Mike had other patients to attend to.

"Okay!" I said, trying to sound full of energy when all I really wanted to do was pass out. "I'm going to go put some pants on and we're going to get goin'!"

"But, Max-"

"No buts."

Ella stood up, reluctantly handing me a pair of clothes. I have to admit, the hospital gown was not my style.

"Max, you _do _realize you're leaving me to deal with Mom all alone?" Ella said, watching me.

"You've dealt with her your whole life," I said, pulling my jeans on under my gown. "You can handle it."

"She's gonna be furious," Ella moaned, holding her forehead. I snapped my fingers at the boys and they turned around as I tugged my gown off and pulled on a sweatshirt.

"Tell her you weren't in the room when we left."

"Max…"

I threw my hospital gown on the bed and grabbed my backpack, the one mom had packed with my stuff in case I woke up. I bet that when she packed it she didn't know she was helping me break a promise to her. Oops.

The others followed me without any protest and my heart swelled. Aw. They make me so emotional.

"You can't leave through the lobby," Ella said finally. "Mike's probably got nurses on watch for you trying to leave without being released."

"That's what windows are for," I said dismissively, drinking the rest of my water on the tray over my bed. I turned to Ella. "You know why I have to do this. If it was Iggy-"

"I'd lie through my teeth to Mom, too," she sighed, finishing my sentence impeccably. I grinned and hugged her, hard.

"Yeah," I said. "You would. And I'd back you up. So, just…Keep Mom out of trouble so she doesn't try to come after us and drag me into bed rest, okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled.

Iggy hefted open the heavy hospital window. The others crowded around it, waiting for my signal. I pulled Aaron into a hug and his arms enveloped me. Over the past two years I'd known him, he'd gotten more muscle from all the training and working out he'd done with us. Now, his muscular arms constricted around me and his chin brushed the top of my head. What was up with everyone being taller than me?

"We'll keep in touch, okay?"

Aaron gave me a look. "Yeah, you will. Because I'm coming, too."

I stared at him in shock. "Are you kidding me? We're _flying _to New York. You can't."

We were going to be flying nonstop, something the kids could barely manage. And they'd grown up doing it. Plus, Iggy had to carry Holden, which we were only going to manage for short amounts of time because he couldn't switch off with Fang. No one could carry Aaron. I wasn't even sure if I could carry myself.

And what if we lost? Fang's mother might not care if Aaron's normal or not. She'd probably kill him immediately if she had no use for him.

I couldn't risk that. I was already risking enough by choosing to let the flock go, too. If it were up to me, I'd go alone.

_You can't go alone, Max._

_I know, _I thought impatiently. _That's why the flock is coming, too. _

"If I can't go, he can't go!" Ella said, crossing her arms. Aaron shot her a look, as if he were about to tell her to back off. The tension was tangible and I just wanted out. I wasn't sure why everyone suddenly felt left out of a _death mission_, but I knew we were wasting way too much time.

"You can't go because Mom would kill me," I corrected Ella. I mean, hell, Mom was going to kill me for just taking the flock and leaving the hospital. But if I took _Ella_?

I would be six feet under. No doubt about it.

Not to mention if something happened to Ella on the mission. Mom would never forgive me. I would never forgive myself. And at least Iggy was backing me up. He didn't want Ella going any more than I did.

Aaron, on the other hand…

"I'll drive."

"Driving will take too long," I said dismissively. Truthfully, I was scared to death of getting in a car anytime soon. That also meant I didn't want the others to be in cars, either. Aaron stared at me.

"Max-"

"You're staying here," I said in my don't-mess-with-trouble voice. "I can't be responsible for you getting hurt. We have no idea what we're up against."

"So, one more person could only help."

"God, did Fang teach you how to _defy me_, too?" I asked incredulously, earning myself a few anxious smiles. Not from Aaron. "Aaron, we have no idea what's going to happen. And if something happened to you, I can name about fifty people who would be upset with me, including myself. You need to stay."

"Max, you can't just make me sit here and wait."

Well, I _had _to make him, somehow. And what do you think meant more to me - not hurting Aaron's feelings or keeping him safe?

I'll give you one guess.

"It isn't your place, Aaron! You _aren't one of us_!" I shouted.

Aaron shut up.

We left.

**A/N: Show me some love.**

**I'll update tomorrow. Again tonight if I get 290 reviews.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: OMG I SUCK SO BAD GUYS I'M SORRY. **

**Let me get something straight: Commenting a bagillion times is **_**cheating**_**… Haha! Thank you so much greysky3! BUT DON'T GET CRAZY.**

**Um, I just wrote this entire chapter during an episode of NCIS. And you better love me an extra ton, because the 100****th**** episode of Psych is on and I'm updating instead. Yeah. I'm committed. Anyways…**

**I told myself "I won't get 290 reviews, I have time."**

**Life? I don't have any. **

**Access to computer? I also don't have any. Of course my computer chose now to crash and I just now got an opportunity to get on the home desktop and upload so I apologize. BUT it is still "tonight" so I didn't break my promise. **

**DON'T WORRY: This isn't the last we see of Aaron…I have plans for him. **

**SO, here. **

Usually, Iggy, Fang and I could handle flying for 10-12 hours a day. We'd only been flying for about seven hours, and I honestly thought I was about to drop out of the sky. Iggy kept asking me if I felt okay, and I knew that if Fang was with us he'd had made us stop by now because my body wasn't ready to log so many hours of tiring flight.

But he wasn't with us. So I gritted my teeth and kept flying, ready to change that little detail. Fang would be with us, _very _soon. If my plan worked.

"Maybe we should take a break," Iggy said, swooping over to come up beside me. He was carrying Holden, which must've not been very comfortable.

"Why?" I asked tightly. "You tired?"

"Max…"

"I'm fine," I said. "Totally fine."

"Well, I'm starving," Nudge said. "Can we eat?"

"I guess," I said, scanning the ground below. Deep down, I was thanking Nudge repeatedly. Food sounded pretty freaking good right about then.

"What time do you think it is? Like, four? Five?"

"Somewhere around there," Holden agreed, casting a calculating glance at the sunset. "Long after noon, for sure."

"Okay, we'll stop somewhere and get some grub, then head out. I'm guessing we're over Kansas about now. Sound good?"

The others chorused in agreement, so we headed into a dive and landed behind a food joint. It was small, and since eating in confined spaces was not our style, we got about ten bags of delicious-smelling food to go and then got ourselves lost in the wilderness of the forest.

"Mmm," Nudge moaned, unwrapping a double cheeseburger, plus bacon. She was propped up against the tree beside me. "You know, Aaron was really upset."

"Well, I'd upset him a million times more if it meant he'd be safe," I said.

Nudge nodded. "He just wanted to help."

"We don't know what we're doing," I said tiredly. "I don't think there's much help he could do. Eat up, kiddo."

Everyone else dug in quickly.

"So," Gazzy said, swallowing half of his sandwich in one bite. "what's the route?"

I sighed. "I don't know. We need a map."

It was then that I realized just how not prepared we were. We had no idea where we were going, specifically. New York is pretty vague, as far as destinations go. And if we somehow figured out where Fang was being kept, how could I possibly pull some kick-ass plan out of my butt fast enough? Especially a plan that would _work_? The way Fang had explained it to me, it sounded as if Evelyn was a genius. She probably had a counterattack for every strategy. Plus, Dylan had gone MIA, so I could only assume that he'd gone back to wherever Fang was. And Dylan was psycho, apparently. One who'd do anything to help Evelyn and her screwed-up ideas for evolution.

We needed to come up with a plan, and we needed to find Fang. We couldn't spend days upon days searching the entire state of New York. We would be wasting too much time. And we had to figure out what Evelyn had up her sleeve before we broke in and shit hit the fan.

Ugh.

It hurt to think about it all at once. My mind felt almost as exhausted as my limbs. How much longer could I take this, really? Maybe mom had been right. But that didn't mean I could've stayed in the hospital. Not while Fang needed me. Truthfully, if I had the chance, I'd choose to go on this mission. I'd choose it a million times.

Suddenly, the Voice blessed me with a mental map of the U.S., complete with state borders and everything. Wow, something useful. Let's give a round of applause for this random act of convenience. "Thanks," I muttered under my breath, closing my eyes. Now all I needed was a 'You are here' sign.

_You're in southern Nebraska, near the border of Kansas. One more hour of flying and you'll cross into Iowa. _

_Helpful, for once, _I thought sourly. _Best route? _

_Just keep flying northeast. Through Iowa, Wisconsin, over the Great Lakes and a bit of Canada. If you fly nonstop you'll make it by tomorrow night, most likely. _

I looked around at the others while silently cataloguing my injuries. I would not be able to go nonstop. I wouldn't be able to fly through the night. _And if we stop? _

_I recommend you don't. _

_We can't make it through the night, _I thought. _And even if they can, _I _can't. _

_The morning after tomorrow, afternoon latest. _

"We're in Nebraska," I recounted to the others.

"Hmm," Iggy said, leaning back against his tree. He was already finished eating. "Somewhere new."

"Yep. Soon we'll be in Iowa. The Voice showed me the quickest route."

"Cool," Holden said.

_Voice? _I heard no response, but figured it hadn't clocked out yet. _Why are you being so helpful?_

_You're running out of time. _

What? What the hell was that supposed to mean? We were running out of time, or _Fang _was running out of time? _Hello, Voice? _

Nothing.

"I hope Fang is alright," Angel said softly, looking up at me. Probably reading my thoughts. "Who kidnapped him again?"

"A woman named Evelyn," I told her. "She's Fang's mom."

"Poor Fang," Nudge said. "He told me once that he didn't want to know what his parents were like. Now I understand why. I mean, I wouldn't want to know either, if mine were schizoids. His dad was the scientist in charge of creating him and now his mom is evil, too."

I smiled at her in understanding. The truth was, Fang had hated his parents even before he knew them. When we were kids, at the E house, sometimes him and I would talk about our parents. He said that if they'd loved us at all, we wouldn't be there, in the situation we were in.

Then Angel had come back from the School, saying Fang's dad was unknown and his mom was a teenager, and then he just hated them more. He'd never had a good vision of him and his parents. He'd never imagined his life in a happy family.

In fact, after Angel's little insight, Fang and I had talked about it a few weeks later. And he had said that he was glad they didn't want him because he didn't want them either. Not if he could have the flock instead.

And now it was worse than he had ever imagined. His mom wasn't some crackhead teenage whore. She was trying to kill him and take over the world.

"Yeah," Iggy said, snapping me out of my dreary thoughts. "You're lucky, Max."

Well, I sure as hell didn't feel like it.

"You know what's nice, though?" Gazzy piped up, trying to lighten the mood. "Not being chased by Erasers."

"It seems too good to be true," Nudge said softly. "Even now. So long after…"

"I know," I said, pulling her to my side. "But it's not. We're safe from them."

But from scientists? From Evelyn?

I was starting to think we'd never be completely safe.

"Do you feel okay?" Iggy asked as I got to my feet and tried to appear badass and not fall over at the same time. The others joined me, standing up.

"Great," I said, lying through my teeth yet again. "Let's just…keep going until we get to Iowa and then we'll stop somewhere for the night."

"You're the boss," Iggy said, shaking out his wings.

"You don't have to remind me," I said, ushering for the others to start taking off.

We flew for four more hours before I _had _to stop. I felt like I was about to pass out due to exhaustion and pain. We began looking for a hotel to stay in since it was pretty chilly up north this time of year. Finally, Holden spotted one and we went down.

"Been a while since we crashed at a hotel," Nudge muttered, looking less than thrilled.

Yeah. It had been a while since we went on a rescue mission, too.

History sure does have a way of repeating itself, eh?

But it had also been a while since we'd seen Fang. And I was going to change that.

"You guys go around back. Ig, Holden and I will check in then let you in the window."

After the kids flew around the building, Iggy and I landed near the front parking lot. Ig set Holden on his feet and we all spent a minute making our appearances look normal. Then I led them inside.

"You got cash?" I asked under my breath.

Iggy shrugged, Holden shook his head.

"Good evening," a man behind the counter said.

"Hi," I smiled tightly. "ATM?"

He pointed toward the corner.

We made our way over to the machine. I dug in my backpack. Hopefully, the Max card was somewhere in here…aha. Thank God for the Max card, saving our butts since three years ago. I got some cash; enough for a night in the hotel and some more for food and stuff. Then I went back and asked for a room.

"Everything okay, kids?" the man said as he handed me a room key.

"Just fine, thanks," I said. What was with nosy adults these days?

Adults.

I wondered what my mom was doing right now.

As we made our way up the stairs to the fourth floor, I thought about her, Ella and Aaron. Nudge was right; Aaron had been hurt by what I'd said. But…at least he wouldn't get hurt any more by some evil scientist or something. It wasn't the first time I'd said something hurtful to Aaron and I can promise you it won't be the last.

That was worth it. If he hated me for it…Oh, well.

"Go let the kids in. I'll be right in there."

Iggy and Holden let themselves into the hotel room. Upon further inspection, I found that I didn't have my phone in the backpack Mom had brought for me at the hospital. She had gotten me two pairs of clothes, for when I woke up. I guess she'd just assumed I wouldn't be taking off across the country right after I came back to consciousness.

I walked down the hall, past the door that led to the stairwell and into the small room at the end. There was an ice machine and a vending machine. Then, in the corner, a payphone.

Score.

I sighed, reaching into the bottom of my backpack. There _had _to be some change in there.

Finally, I got enough to make a call. It rang for a few minutes, then I got Mom's house machine.

"Hey, Mom," I said slowly, twirling the cord around my finger. "I don't know what time it is there, probably should've checked before I called…" I swallowed. It couldn't be that different, right? We were only a couple states over. "Just wanted you to know that we're okay. Somewhere in Iowa. I call you tomorrow night, okay? Just…I'm sorry. But, we had to go. Love you. Oh, Mom? It wasn't Ella's fault. Okay. Uh, bye."

I hung up, wishing I'd been able to hear her voice. Wishing I was more capable of the emotional connection stuff. Ugh.

I headed toward the room, ready to hit the sack. It had been a freaking long day.

• • •

Dylan watched her hang up the phone and sigh, pushing her hair back. She was in so much pain. She didn't deserve pain, ever. Dylan would take her pain away.

She turned away from the payphone and walked down the hall. Dylan watched her until she entered the hotel room.

Dylan didn't need binoculars to see her in the hallway of the hotel across the street. Dylan's super sight really came in handy for times like this.

He pondered going in and capturing them now. Evelyn had made his orders specifically clear. No one was to be killed - yet. First they were to be transported to the headquarters in New York. Then, perhaps…

A little show for Fang, maybe? How crazy would he go, seeing them in peril? Seeing them tortured?

He'd be sent around the bend once and for all, for sure.

But no. Dylan decided to keep tabs on them a while longer. Watching from afar but not causing any trouble. The closer they got, the easier it would be for Dylan to get them to the headquarters. He'd wait.

Yes. He'd wait. And then he would save Max.

**A/N: I'm thinking 320 reviews. Yeah. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Jeez. Those reviews are seriously skyrocketing. Y'all rock.**

I wasn't the first one to wake up the next morning. Iggy was coming out of the bathroom as I sat up in bed, turning to glance at the clock. Everyone else was laying in various spots in the room, sleeping soundly. The clock told me it was about five AM.

I sighed in relief. We hadn't wasted too much time sleeping, for once.

Iggy's head snapped up in my direction, zoning in on me impressively. He'd probably heard my sigh. "Max?"

"Yeah," I said. "We need to get going soon."

"Are the others all asleep still?"

I did another sweeping glance then looked at him. "Yeah."

"How do you really feel? _Really_?"

Really? I groaned flopping back onto the bed I was sharing with Nudge. "I feel like shit."

Iggy sighed this time, realizing that I was probably not going to admit to more than that. He didn't say anything. I swung my legs off the side of the bed and put my head in my hands for a second, taking a slow, deep breath. Then I stood up.

"I don't know what to do," I said finally. My voice was low and barely even a whisper. I pulled on some jeans and went to sit next to him at the small table in the corner.

"Do we ever know what to do?" Iggy asked. He was resting his chin in his hand, his blind eyes level with mine.

"No, I…" I shifted. "I haven't talked to Fang since I woke up. All of our other powers besides the dreams haven't been working. Now, I guess Evelyn has something to do with that. But…we haven't shared a dream again since I woke up."

I hadn't really given it much thought until this morning. But now I could feel ice seeping into my veins at the thought.

"The Voice told me yesterday that we're running out of time. I just…what if we get there and it's too late?"

Iggy nodded. "I was thinking about that yesterday…But, he's been alive this whole time. Why would she kill him _now_?"

"Because she knows we're coming," I muttered. "Because she's smart."

"Well, she isn't smart enough," Iggy said, bumping my knee under the table. "We'll come out on top. We always do."

I picked at a loose string on my sweatshirt. "We _have _to save him."

"We always do," Iggy said reassuringly, his sightless eyes moving to face the rest of the room. "Someone gets themselves in trouble and the rest of us always get them back. It's a cycle."

"I'm just wondering when our luck is going to run out," I said. "We've made it this far without any attacks, Fang's somehow been surviving all this time…I feel like it's all just going to come crumbling down. I just hate the feeling of not knowing."

Iggy didn't say anything. For a second, I figured our talk was over. Then:

"He wouldn't give up on you that easy."

I smiled, and even though he couldn't see it I'm pretty sure he could hear it in my voice. "You think?"

He nodded. "It's _Fang_. The boy's more whipped than anyone I've ever known. You tell him to live and he'll ask how long."

A very, very, _very _long time.

I stood up, eyeing the room again and checking the clock a second time.

"You good to carry Holden? We're going to cut through Wisconsin and then we can't stop over the Great Lakes."

"I'll be fine," Iggy said. "But you…can you take that nonstop flying?"

"Seriously? You start doubting me _now_?" I stood up. "Let's wake everyone up. We'll get breakfast fast and then get in the air before the sun's up."

The kids grudgingly got up. We stopped at a McDonalds to get about twenty breakfast sandwiches then took off, continuing our flight northeast. I was constantly watching the skies, waiting for a threat to swoop in. None. Instead it was actually really peaceful flying all together again, and if the reason weren't so important we would've taken our time.

But Fang's life was on the line, presumably. So we hustled.

"You guys got bombs?" I asked suddenly, glancing back at the boys while coasting on a strong wind.

"Are you kidding?" Gazzy asked. "When do we _not_?"

I smirked, looking up into the sun. It was a relatively nice day today, and we'd been flying for hours. My body was slowly getting used to being pushed to the limit again, so I was holding on alright. For now.

I could see the water in the distance.

"Anyone need to stop? We'll be flying nonstop for the next hour or two."

I got responses ranging from "I'm fine" to "What, do I _look _like a two year old who can't fly?"

Thank you, Gazzy.

"I'll take that as a no."

• • •

"Do you know anything about her?"

Ella slowly closed the front door, dropping her backpack by the welcome mat as she kicked off her shoes. She could hear her mom in the kitchen.

Her mom had been less maniacal about the whole Max-escaping-the-hospital thing than Ella had expected, and the call from her last night had really helped put them both at peace of mind.

Ella could smell something delicious. She turned the corner and entered the kitchen only to see her mom leaning against the counter, looking at Jeb who stood across the room from her.

"Hello, Ella," Jeb greeted. He was sitting at the breakfast bar.

Ella walked by him and kissed her mom on the cheek. "What's going on?"

Her mom wrung her hands on the dish towel hanging on the stove and looked at her. "I'm trying to find out as much about this Evelyn woman as possible."

"I already told you, Val, I don't know much," Jeb said. "You'd have to talk to Harrison. And I've yet to see him since they shut down Itex."

"I'm supposed to believe you've had no contact whatsoever with Adam for two whole years?"

"He's gone into hiding, like me. We're the only two not in prison, you know. Out of thousands of scientists."

That had been, ultimately, Max and Fang's decision. Whether or not to turn them in. And though Fang and seemed indifferent, Max decided to thank them for actually helping by not locking them up in jail. Jeb and Harrison had been out of their hair since.

"And Evelyn," Ella added, grabbing a drink from the fridge.

"Well, technically, Evelyn was never employed by Itex. Harrison hired her as an intern simply to get the egg needed to create Fang. Then she was dismissed."

"Look at how well she took the rejection," Ella said, hopping up onto the counter.

Jeb nodded. "Obviously not well. I'd figured that she had moved on and pursued a different occupation, but now…"

"I wonder how she went on under the radar for so long without being discovered," Ella mused.

"It's not hard for someone to disappear," Jeb said. "Evelyn is a very smart, very capable woman. And if Fang is still alive, then she has a plan. She wouldn't do anything without reason."

"So, what do you think her reasoning is?" Dr. Martinez asked.

"I think," Jeb said slowly, "that Evelyn is trying to lure the flock to her rather than having to chase them down herself. Probably using Fang as bait."

"God," Ella sighed, leaning her head back against the cabinets. "This sucks."

"Max makes good decisions," Jeb said. "She knows what she's doing. And if not, she'll figure it out."

"She makes decisions with her heart," Ella's mom pointed out nervously. "She's impulsive."

"Sometimes being impulsive is the best choice," Jeb said. "Sometimes it's the difference between life and death, Val."

"You have too much faith in her," Dr. M said softly.

Jeb cocked an eyebrow. "You have too little."

Ella finished her juice box and crumpled it up. She hopped off the counter and went over to the trash to throw it away. As she closed the lid, someone came through the front door and down the hall.

"Is it weird that I'm here and they're not?" he asked bemusedly, looking around. "Oh, well. Do you know just how much a place ticket to New York is? All of my allowance for the rest of my life. That's how much."

**A/N: I told you I had plans for him…Gotta love 'im, right? **

**Review. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I am seriously pulling these chapters out of my butt on a whim. I mean, I know where the last few chapters are going to end up, but… Yeah. In between here and there…I dunno guys. It's pretty sketch. **

**Expect a Fang POV around chapter…20? Roughly. Remember, these are set chapters. Just guesses. But since that's four chapters away…how about a dream?**

**Review Hall of Famers: marietheham, greysky3, N0601859, Raisa ana' Mariana, pancakes-for-you, jetthedog, Elemental Dragon Slayer, fallingstars97, LovePercabeth4eva, MaximumLaughterLoves, AlyLuvsYou, officiallydana, Riverpebble, Adalyn333, TaylorAnn123, xXimmortalXx, flytothemax97, Flygrrl, Everiss K, Mister Moronic, BooksRide, AinsleyWright, ILOVEMEERKATS, and so so so so so many more!**

**YOU GUYS ARE REALLY EFFING COOL.**

_Max shoves Fang against the brick wall behind him and stands on her toes, pulling him down by his hair so their mouths can fit together. Fang ducks his head more to make it easy, wrapping his arms around her waist. All of Max's fear, all of her anxiety and worry…it all goes away as Fang holds her and kisses her. _

_Max's breath hitches when Fang picks her up and spins them around, pushing her against the wall carefully and lifting her up so they're level with each other. She pulls away, grabbing his face. _

"_I woke up," Max says. "We're coming to get you. We're in-"_

_Fang kisses her urgently to shut her up. "No," Fang whispers just barely against Max's mouth. "Don't give anything away - she's watching."_

"_I was so afraid," Max says, trying to drive the attention away from her almost slip-up of info. "I thought…I thought you…"_

"_I'm okay," Fang says. "I'm always okay." _

_And Max can't help but remember that night with Fang, Christmas Eve, mere minutes before she and Dylan fought. When she had yet again been afraid for Fang and his well-being. When she'd thought that she had saved him too late. _

_The memories hurt so bad. _

_Damn it, he needs to come home. _

"_She's got to be watching," Fang continues lowly, his lips brushing Max's neck. "I haven't seen anyone or heard from anyone since our last dream…she must be monitoring me." _

_He hadn't seen anyone? Hadn't been tortured or taunted? _

"_Good," Max mumbles, pushing her hands up his chest. "That's good. She's leaving you alone."_

"_She's reevaluating the situation. She's…planning a second attack."_

_Max kisses him again, gentler this time, speaking against his lips in a whisper. "We're coming." _

"_Is Dylan with you?" Fang asks. _

_Max shakes her head, leaning back against the rough brick behind her. "I don't know where he is." _

_Fang leans in close, kissing her forehead. "Be careful."_

"_Buck up," Max mutters in response. "If I get there and you're not kicking some serious ass, I may just leave you." _

"_You wouldn't dare," Fang teases, kissing her jaw and then her lips. _

"_No," Max muses, pulling him close. "I wouldn't."_

• • •

_Where the hell is my flock? _

I hate thoughts like that in the morning. Don't you?

My relief at having seen Fang all in one piece was replaced by mind-numbing fear when I woke up in the nice, cozy Canadian hotel room all alone. The beds around me were still unmade, the flock's bags all still spread throughout the room.

Had they been taken? Had they been captured?

_Lamp, Max. _

Lamp? What the heck did that mean? I looked around for a second before I saw a small note leaning up against the lamp on the bedside table. Oh, okay then.

_Downstairs at breakfast. Didn't want to wake you. _

_xoxoxo Nudge_

I lowered the note and looked uneasily at the clock.

Eleven thirty? We were supposed to _be _in New York by now! It was already almost afternoon and we still had hours of flying left?

I jumped out of bed and pulled on some pants, running out of the room and down the stairs. I was going to _slaughter _Iggy. How dare he just leave me sleeping! Did he really think that we had time to waste? Oh, God.

As I entered the buffet style dining room, I heard:

"Can I just have, like, a bowl of bacon? They're Canadian, they're into bacon, right? Isn't it, like, their national food?"

"Gazzy, you're an idiot."

"Nudge, stop. Gaz, don't be a problem."

"I don't think asking for a bowl of bacon was being a problem. Being brilliant, maybe - oh, hey Max!"

"Iggy," I said through gritted teeth, ignoring the Gasman. "Why they hell was I left sleeping until eleven thirty?"

Everyone looked at me quietly, except for Iggy, who was immune to my glare and just kept eating.

"You needed the rest. We covered a lot of ground yesterday and-"

"You don't make decisions. _I _make the decisions. _You _don't watch out for _me_. I watch out for you. And if Fang is not alive when we get there it is _your fault_!"

Iggy froze.

I took a deep breath, pushing the heels of my palms into my eyes. Maybe that would make me stop seeing red. "Everyone get up to the room and get your stuff. We're leaving in five minutes."

The kids scuttled off, and Iggy stayed sitting at the table.

"You wouldn't have been able to handle another day of flying without rest," he said evenly, probably sensing my heavy gaze.

"You can't tell me what I can and can't handle!" I said. "We were supposed to be there by now! Now we won't get there until tonight and we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning!"

"Max, your mom was right. You won't do any good if your not well rested, and you've been pushing yourself too hard. You just got out of a coma. You just recovered from fatal injuries. And if you think I'm too stupid to tell when you're not at 100% then your wrong, because I've grown up with you my whole life."

"I know how to take care of myself!" I exclaimed.

"Really? Because you're doing a shitty job," Iggy said angrily. "Ever since Fang disappeared you just gave up on everything. And now that we know he's alive you're still neglecting yourself even though you're _killing _yourself in the process."

"Fang has suffered two years," I said finally. "But I'll be sure to tell him that he waited two years and _three days _because Iggy wanted me to sleep in."

"Whatever Max," Iggy scoffed. "When you drop out of the sky today don't expect me to catch you."

I just wanted to hit something. Without another word, I stomped out of the dining room and left him still picking at his plate of food. I went to the counter and checked out of our room. Hadn't anyone noticed that three of us had checked in but six of us had come down for breakfast? Guh.

There was tension radiating from Iggy and I as we all took off. Everyone else was just anxious, waiting for something to happen, for someone to explode. I felt like leaving them all behind me and speeding off with my super speed, but I held back. We were a team.

No matter how idiotic and boneheaded Iggy was, we were a team.

And, between you and me, I _did _feel better. But I didn't need to sleep that long. Just thinking about the fact that I was lying in a cozy hotel bed and sleeping in until almost noon while Fang was tortured and threatened made me feel sick. We had screwed up, big time.

But…I had seen him in my dream, and he'd said no one had been in since Dylan, a few days ago.

I sent a casual glance around at the others. Nudge was flying beside me and Iggy had fallen back into her spot. Gazzy seemed to be doing fine. When I looked at Angel she smiled and waved.

We flew all day. No one asked to stop and no one told me I needed to. It was a nice change.

It had gotten to be late afternoon and Nudge had passed out the last of our granola bars two hours before. I had a feeling we were going to cross back into the states soon, leaving Canada behind. Then we'd be able to start our search for Evelyn's headquarters.

_Voice, _I thought suddenly. _Do you have any idea where in New York we're headed for?_

No response. I was starting to think the Voice ignored me only when it didn't know the answer to avoid looking incompetent.

It was really sinking in now. We were going to get to New York, land somewhere, and then have no idea where we are or where we're going. This _sucked_. I was just _so _done with the whole inconvenient-kidnapping thing.

"Max? Are you feeling okay?" That was Nudge.

That was the last straw.

"No," I said. "I'm _not _feeling okay. We're way behind schedule, we don't know where the hell we're going, and I feel like I'm going to pass out. We don't even know what Evelyn's stupid plan is and if we did, how would we stop it? I am not up for saving Fang, let alone the whole world, _again_. I _don't _feel okay."

Well, what was anyone supposed to say to _that_? Huh? In times like these, it was Fang who comforted me and helped me calm down. Fang who would always know what to say. But he wasn't here, and I was falling apart. And _no one _knew what to say.

After a minute of silence, I said, "Forget it, okay? We're fine. I'm fine."

"No! Don't forget it," Nudge swooped in front of me and turned, facing me seriously. "Max, we're not little babies anymore, okay? We can take it."

_I _didn't think they could take it. I could barely take it. Too bad I didn't usually have a choice.

"Yeah, Max," Gazzy said from behind me. "We always kick butt, you know that. One chick? Come on. Easy as pie."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not because she's a chick or anything," Gazzy fixed quickly. "Just 'cause, you know, she's outnumbered and…stuff."

Outnumbered and…stuff. Don't you see why Gazzy is my inspirational little guy?

"What makes you think we can't save the world twice?" Nudge demanded from me.

Honestly? I didn't know what it was. Maybe it was just everything all at once. The fact that Evelyn's been planning to take over the world for so long and we never noticed, the fact that Fang's been gone for so long, the fact that it was taking us a freaking decade to get to New York.

I didn't know what it was. But something was making me feel like this mission was a lost cause.

It _couldn't _be a lost cause.

I wasn't ready for whatever was in store for us. I was finally starting to realize that I really, truly wasn't.

_Welcome back to New York, Max._

Annnnnd…

Showtime.

**A/N: There's chapter 17. So…370 reviews? **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Um…I don't know how I feel about this chapter, honestly. But whatever. **

**Just…tell me how you feel about it. **

Guess what it's like to be wandering aimlessly around New York with five easily distracted kids?

Not fun.

We searched awhile for a place to eat until they decided on a _supposedly _endless buffet. It was not endless. That was a lie. They cut us off after six plates each by "discreetly" bringing us the bill. Whatever.

I really wanted to sit down at a computer and dig up some dirt on this Evelyn chick and her evil plan. But I didn't even have _anything _to search. I had nowhere to start whatsoever. No last name, no street number, no code-name for her so-called evil plan.

Not to mention we were on her turf now. If she was half as brilliant as everyone said she was, then she probably knew, too. Or Dylan, wherever the hell he was.

"Remember the last time we were here?" Nudge asked me, grabbing my wrist. "The Erasers? The cops?"

And I did remember. Back when the running began, when Angel had been kidnapped. When we'd come here, looking for information on Itex. When my mission to save the world was fresh in my mind and scary as hell.

I looked at her. "We're okay," I said, noticing that, for once, she didn't look eased. "They're gone."

"Do you remember that toy store?" Gazzy asked. "Can we go there?"

I wanted to say that we weren't here on a vacation, but I decided against it. "That was fun, yeah?"

Gazzy nodded enthusiastically and pulled Nudge a few yards ahead to gape at a fudge shop's display window.

"What are we doing?" Iggy spoke to me for the first time since this morning, and I didn't look at him. His voice was tight, his words straight to the point.

"Honest Max or leader Max?"

"Damn, can't you be both?" Iggy mumbled. His arm grazed mine as we walked and I could tell he was doing it on purpose, almost as if apologizing for what he'd said earlier. And we probably would really apologize out loud to each other, but I didn't push him away, which was enough of a counter-apology for him. "Honest."

"I don't have a clue," I said lowly. The others were ahead of us, walking down the sidewalk. Nudge's eyes were scanning the windows of small boutiques and cafés. Gazzy and Angel were people watching. "The Voice is being no help at all. We have no idea what we're looking for. I'm just waiting for someone to pop out and say 'Fang is this way!'"

"I wish," Iggy muttered. "How late is it? It feels late."

I shrugged and he felt it. "Nudge? You got the time?"

Nudge pulled her beloved cell phone out of her pocket. She had the same one as me, so the way we told them apart was the covers. Hers was purple with diamonds.

"Almost eight."

"We need somewhere to sleep."

"Think we should crash in Central Park, like last time?"

"She knows we're here," I mumbled.

"What?" Iggy asked. "Did the Voice tell you that?"

I shook my head, though he couldn't see it. "That's why we've made it this far. We're walking right into her trap. We're putting ourselves in her hands."

I sighed, looking up at the buildings around us. "Guys, start looking for another hotel."

• • •

"Max?"

"Hey, Mom. I forgot to call last night," I said.

"Like hell you forgot," Mom said through the phone. I was startled into a laugh. I'd sent the kids into the room already and had made my way into the hall with Nudge's cell phone. Right now I was in a coin laundry room that was, conveniently, on the same floor as our suite. And I was attempting to shove all our clothes into one load because when they say "coin laundry" they ain't just whistling Dixie. And I don't have that many coins to begin with.

"We're in New York. Some hotel near Central Park."

"You're all okay?" Mom asked.

"Yeah." I kept it short and sweet.

"Max?"

"Hmm?"

"I trust you. Whatever you're trying to do…you'll get it done. Somehow. I know you will."

"Thanks," I said, suddenly feeling choked up. "I just wish I knew more about the mission. I don't even know where I'm going."

"Jeb doesn't really know much about Evelyn from the start," Mom said. "He said that her name was Evelyn Wilson, unless she changed her name or got married."

I chewed on this information for a few moments. So, obviously, Mom had called in Jeb for advice. Which was smart, except for the fact that the guy who actually knew Evelyn on a personal level is hiding somewhere on some island or something, avoiding jail time. Adam Harrison.

Wilson. Her _possible _last name.

Okay. Okay, we could maybe work with that. Somehow.

"It's really late here," Mom said.

"Oh, I didn't-"

"But, I'm glad you called. I love you, Max. Be careful."

"Okay, Mom. I-"

A loud, echoing scream erupted down the hall.

Angel.

"I have to go," I said, ending the call. I ran out of the laundry room, leaving our clothes in the washing machine.

The others. I had left them alone.

Oh, God.

I ran down the hall and fumbled with the key card, slamming it in the slot. The little red light switched to green and I shoved my way into the room, only to see Angel being pulled out the window in someone's arms. She was kicking and his hand was over her mouth.

Dylan.

No one else was in the room. I ran across the carpeted floor toward the balcony, watching Dylan land in the alley and throw Angel roughly into the back of a van.

"Ang-"

And then someone had the _nerve _to shove me, face-first against the wall. I kicked back at whoever it was - someone unrecognizable, a dude - and he hissed in pain. Before I could even think about kicking him again, his fingers curled in my hair and slammed my head against the wall. Again. And again. I struggled to get the upper hand but this kid was strong. Definitely not a normal human.

I heard the horrible sound of a vehicle speeding away outside under the window. The screeching of the wheels only added to the screeching pain in my skull.

Then:

"Victor, no!" The kid was pulled away from me, his fingers yanking my hair, hard, in the process. "Max! I told him not to hurt you!"

Gentle hands grabbed me and suddenly and spun me around so I was facing him. My head was throbbing and my vision was blurry, but I had enough power to push Dylan off me, hard.

I was about to jump out the window and chase the van - I could kick Dylan's ass later - when Dylan lurched forward and grabbed me.

"Max, I don't want to hurt you," Dylan said carefully, watching my face. His bright blue eyes looked as innocent as ever, but I know that he was a different Dylan. He wasn't the same guy who'd been there two years ago, when Fang wasn't. He wasn't that guy at all.

His sandy hair fell into his eyes as he looked down at me. "We're going to go home, Max. We can be together now. You just have to trust me."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, shoving against him. He was stronger than me, almost overpowering. I felt something hard against my back, where his hand was. A few seconds later and I realized that it was a knife he was pressing into my lower back.

"Dylan, get off," I said calmly, trying not to flip shit. His eyes were crazy.

"Max, I don't want to hurt you," he said again, as if he wasn't even hearing me. "But I needed to get you out of here, so your safe."

I bucked off the wall, trying to get him off me. His first instinct was to shove me back so that I didn't have any wiggle room. Unfortunately, his instinct never factored in the knife behind me.

He shoved me, hard, then we both felt the knife slice into my back. Searing pain jolted through my back and all through my body, making me cry out and start pushing against him with fresh fear in my mind.

"Max, oh, God…" He backed away, and he was holding the knife. A knife that had _my _blood on the blade. My hand flew to my back, where my shirt was getting wet. It was not water. He dropped the knife, looking at his hands.

"What have I done? Oh, Max -"

And then the coffee maker that had been by the entrance to the suite slammed into Dylan's head, effectively knocking him out.

I groaned, supporting myself by leaning on the wall and looking up through my hazy vision.

"You get yourself into a lot of shit, you know that?" Aaron breathed heavily, standing in front of me with the coffee-maker-turned-weapon in one hand. "I don't know how Fang puts up with it."

**A/N: Neither do I, Aaron. Neither do I. **

**You know what to do, folks. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey.**

**As I start this chapter, there are three hours until the new Dr. Who. When I post this, it'll probably be over already. So yeah. That's me. Oh, and its raining and I'm eating a chicken sandwich. Okay. **

**Also, I just wanted to say that I really love the fact that I can, you know, make you guys fall in love with a character I created. 'Cause, you know, y'all already liked the Maximum Ride characters prior to reading this, but…Aaron is mine. So, thanks. You're seriously giving me too much of an ego, yo. **

**Read on!**

I didn't even have time to really come to terms with the fact that Aaron somehow got to New York. My mind was on the flock. Go find the flock. Go get the flock back. Save them. You have to save them, Max.

_Max, you're hurt. _

"Damn it," I hissed, shoving Aaron halfheartedly as I made my way over Dylan and onto the balcony.

"Max, you're bleeding!" Aaron said, grabbing my arm.

_You can't fly right now, Max. Get inside and clean up your back. _

"The flock is gone, Aaron!" I said, but also directing it to the Voice. Did no one understand what had just happened?

Well, I barely understood it. But still.

_They're long gone now, Max. You won't find them. Take care of you, first. _

Take care of me, first. I'd never, ever helped myself before the flock. It was them and _then _myself. No way. I couldn't just let them be taken! I had to go help them!

"Sit down," Aaron said, taking on a lighter tone.

"We need to get out of here," I said, glancing around the room. It was trashed. They must've fought for a while. God, why didn't they call for me? I was just down the hall.

Dylan was still lying on the ground at my feet, unconscious. How had he overpowered _all _of them?

"Yeah, and if you try to walk out with blood all over your back people might ask questions. Everyone knows who you are now, Max. Sometimes I think you forget that you're, like, known."

I had no response for that. Sometimes I did forget that. Especially times like now.

It just was so hard to function correctly right then.

_Take off your shirt, Max._

"Help me," I said, lifting the hem of my shirt. My back was in serious pain.

"I don't think Fang would dig it if I-"

"Do you think I _care _what Fang would like? Help me."

He sighed and helped me lift my shirt over my head. Then he took a look at my back.

"That is one nasty cut," he commented uneasily. "Do you need a hospital?"

"I am so sick of hospitals," I muttered.

_It's not deep enough to need stitches. You need to stop the bleeding, Max._

"Stop the bleeding," I said, pushing through my backpack to get the first aid kit.

"And…how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Jesus, Aaron. Did you grow up under a rock? Have you never gotten _hurt _before?"

"I have, I just-"

"What do you do when you get a cut?" I demanded. "Here," I handed him the sweatshirt that I had yet to put in the wash before I heard Angel's scream.

God. I thought I didn't know what to do _then_, now I was all alone. How was I supposed to save them by _myself_?

I inhaled sharply as Aaron started to put pressure on the cut. "You have a lot of scars," he said softly.

Day in the life of a mutant teenager.

"Yeah," I muttered, not knowing how to respond to that.

He pressed harder and I almost squeaked in pain. "Okay! That's enough of that. Now here, put this on it."

I handed him a bottle of antiseptic, and he cleaned the cut. Then I made him cover it in gauze. It would probably bleed through in a couple of hours, but hopefully it would stop bleeding by then. I stood, throwing the remainder of my things into my backpack before looking at him.

"What are you doing here?"

He motioned to Dylan who was still on the floor. He must've knocked him out pretty good. "I'm saving your ass."

"How did you get here, anyways?"

"I flew."

I stared at him. Oh, so now he'd sprouted wings, too?

God help me. That was the last thing I needed.

"On a plane," he clarified, giving me an obvious look. "I probably won't be getting a car anytime soon, but at least I showed up in time to see you get stabbed."

"This isn't funny," I said. I opened Iggy's backpack and dumped the useful things into mine. Gazzy's, too. If there were bombs that's where they'd be, unless they had them stuffed in their clothes. Which, hopefully, they did. Then maybe they could blow up Evelyn's goons. "We gotta bail. And you need to go to the airport and take the next ride home."

"No way," Aaron said angrily, following me out into the hall. I'd changed into my only other shirt and stuffed the bloody one in my bag. Dylan was still in the trashed hotel room. "Besides, I bought a one way ticket."

A long string of curse words filled my head. Was Aaron _trying _to slow me down even _more_? I gritted my teeth as we reached the lobby, refusing to say another word to him right then. I didn't even check out of the room. We got down to the main floor and left out an emergency exit into an alley.

I turned to face him. "She took them," I said finally. "And I have no idea where. Now we have to travel on foot because _you can't fly_, and we don't have the slightest clue what we're doing or where we're going. Plus, now I get to make sure you don't _die _or else I'll forever live with guilt even though you stupidly chose to come here on your own!"

"Gosh, Max. Glad you appreciate me."

"You're being absolutely no help at all!"

"So this is what you meant when you said I wasn't one of you? News flash: It's okay to get help from someone different than you. It's not just the flock against the world!"

I stared at him, not knowing what to say or do. Feeling bad that I was, again, taking my fear and anger out on other people who were only looking out for me. Ugh.

"Look, we do know one thing," Aaron said. "Her name is Wilson. Let's find a phone book or something. She's got to live somewhere, right?"

"Yeah," I scoffed. "My guess is the Underworld." Aaron grinned. Then I cocked an eyebrow at him and added, "How did you know that her last name was Wilson?"

"That guy, at your house…Jed? Was that it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Jeb. With a B."

So I was right; Mom had talked to Jeb. And not only had she spoken to him, but she'd actually gotten him to come out of hiding. Interesting.

"Yeah, he was talking about her," Aaron said, scratching his head. I started walking and he jogged to catch up. "Who is that guy?"

"My father," I said shortly. Aaron chewed on that for a bit.

"I didn't know you had a dad," he said finally.

"I don't have a dad, I have a father," I said, yanking the door open to a small, almost empty café. "Big difference."

I steered him into the coffee house. It was late, about nine, but there was a woman behind the counter, serving a couple coffee. I walked up to the counter and said kindly, "Do you have a phone book, by chance?"

She looked at me, at Aaron, and then nodded. "Sure, I'll be right back."

I smiled at her. When she turned away, I looked at Aaron. "You have your phone?"

He nodded, pulling it out of his pocket.

"Look up Evelyn Wilson."

"Wait a minute," someone said. I looked at the couple next to us. A woman who was holding hands with some guy looked at me quizzically. "Evelyn Wilson?"

"Yeah," I said, practically bouncing on my heels with nerves. This café was tiny, and if anyone wanted to, it wouldn't be hard to trap Aaron and I. I was the epitome of on edge.

And this chick just randomly knew who we were talking about?

"I baby-sit for her, when she has work. She lives just down the block in the apartment building on West Avenue."

I stared at this random girl, my apparent savior.

"Is she in some kind of trouble?" the woman asked worriedly.

"No," I said, yanking Aaron away from the counter. "We just need to talk to her. Thanks!"

Aaron looked at me in awe. "How the hell did you get that freaking lucky?"

"I seriously have no idea," I said. "Come on."

We reached the apartment complex in a matter of minutes. Then it was as easy as looking down the tenant list for Wilson.

"413," I breathed, pushing him toward the stairs. Could it really be this easy? "Let's go."

"Stairs?" he whined, following me.

Yeah, stairs. Because I was one elevator ride away from a complete meltdown.

Then, a few minutes later, we found ourselves staring at the slim brown door with _413 _in scripted in silver.

"You have to talk to her."

Aaron gave me a look. "Why?"

"We need to know what she looks like," I said. "Then, when she leaves, we can follow her."

He studied me for a while, maybe trying to decided if I were a psycho or a freaking genius. I'd like to say the second one. Though, come on, I think we both know it's the first.

"She knows what I look like," I said. "She monitors Fang's dreams. You have to knock on the door."

"And do what?" Aaron demanded. "Ask her to buy girl scout cookies?"

I rolled my eyes. I said, "Do you have a wallet?"

He brought it out of his back pocket. "Ask her if it's hers. Say you found it or something."

"What if she actually takes it?" he asked in a hissed whisper. "No way!"

I stomped my foot in exasperation. "I don't know, hurry."

I went down the hall and stood out of sight, peeking around the corner. Aaron glared at me once more before tentatively knocking on the door. My super hearing picked up a girl's voice saying, "I'll get it!"

The door opened wide, and Aaron was staring down at a little girl. Probably around Gazzy's age; I'd say nine or ten.

"Hello," she said confidently.

I gazed down the hall at her in shock. She looked just like Fang…

Then I realized what the lady at the café had said. _I baby-sit for her, when she has work. _

Evelyn's daughter.

Fang's half sister.

I pulled my head back and pressed my back to the wall, listening for Aaron's next sentence. But instead, I heard a woman say, "Sorry about her. Emma, what did I say about opening the door to strangers?"

That had to be her. Her voice was kind and soft, I almost couldn't believe it. Had we gotten the right Evelyn Wilson?

But…the girl was almost identical to Fang. It had to be the right house.

"Sorry, mom."

"Can I help you?" I heard Evelyn ask.

"Uh," Aaron stuttered, "I think I have the wrong place, oh I'm looking for _431_…"

I heard them exchange a few more words and then Aaron came down the hall, grabbing my arm as he pulled me down the stairs.

"That little girl, did you see her?"

"She looked just like Fang," I muttered, still shocked.

"And that woman, that was her?" Aaron asked skeptically. "That was the 'evil genius' who kidnapped Fang?"

I nodded wordlessly. I wanted nothing more than to charge down the hall, bust into her apartment and _make _her tell me where my flock was.

But then she'd probably take Aaron and I, too. So we'd wait and stake it out, then follow her to her headquarters.

"So, what now?" Aaron said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"We go to the park across the street," I said, walking purposefully through the lobby doors toward the crosswalk. "And we wait for her to leave."

"You're really good at this whole stalking thing," Aaron said suspiciously. I refrained from pointing out that it was _staking out the enemy_, not stalking.

"Well, you're really good at screwing up my plans, so just follow me and shut up."

Aaron snorted, obediently following me across the street and into the park.

God.

A sister.

I wonder if Fang knew anything about that.

**A/N: Tomorrow is Easter, and I'm just going to say I have a hectic day of family and friends and church. So, probably no update tomorrow. Maybe Monday. Except Monday is my first day back at school, so, I don't know. **

**Leave me a review!**

**Much love.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: April Fools! Y'all thought I wasn't going to update today! **

**Okay, so…it's not April first yet - here, I don't know about your time zones - but I figure when some of you read this it WILL be April first, so. Yeah. Plus, this way I don't have to update super early in the morning before school. Guh.**

**You know, way back when **_**Risks**_** ended, I said I'd post the first chapter of **_**Choices**_** on April first. Instead, it's almost **_**over**_** already. Kind of crazy, if you think about it. **

**Yeah. **

**DUDE THIS STORY HAS ALMOST AS MANY REVIEWS AS **_**Risks **_**DID WHEN IT ENDED. **

**Color me speechless.**

"What if she never leaves her apartment?" Aaron mumbled, leaning against the tree next to me.

"She's going to," I said.

"What if she goes out some other way?"

"What other way? The fire escape?"

Aaron sighed. "I don't know…we've been waiting forever."

It was almost morning. We'd been sitting there since about nine or ten last night, so I could understand him boredom. Why he chose to voice his irritation in constant whining? Beyond me. It was finally starting to get light again. Aaron had drifted in and out of sleep for a while as I stayed up all night. Probably not the best choice considering I was about to go kick some serious ass, but whatever.

When I didn't say anything, Aaron looked at me. "Why were you so against me coming here?"

"You're not trained for this stuff."

"You-"

"Wrestling with Fang and I is not training," I said, watching the people on the street across from the park. "You can't prepare yourself for stuff like this until it happens to you."

"So, basically, you're saying you have no faith in the guy who saved your life less than 24 hours ago."

I exhaled slowly, counting to ten. "The more people who tag along, the more who are my responsibility," I said. My mind immediately went to Maya, how I hadn't saved her. She had been my responsibility. The flock was my responsibility. Fang.

Now they were all gone.

"And _now _I can't take care of myself," he deadpanned, obviously upset with me.

"Look, it's nothing personal. I just…didn't want that on my conscience again."

I clamped my mouth shut.

Aaron tapped my knee with his sneaker, staring at me. "Again?"

I had given a new definition to _girl with no filter_.

"Is this about Fang? His disappearing wasn't your fault."

"Not Fang," I said. I leaned back against the tree. "Do you remember when I told you about how Fang left?"

He nodded, watching me in the dim light. It was almost five, I noticed when I glanced at Nudge's cell phone.

"When he came back, he brought Holden and my clone."

"Yeah, Maya."

So, Aaron remembered more about us that I thought he would've. Brownie points.

"The three of us - Fang, Maya and I - were captured by Itex. She stole my stuff and pretended to be me," I said quietly, not looking at him. "They killed her because they thought..."

_We'll execute Miss Maximum Ride. _

"Max," Aaron said softly, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I could never pass for you, silly."

I looked at him, smiling lightly.

"I'm sorry," Aaron said. "But I can see how she was a clone of you. You'd do that for anyone of the flock."

"You too," I added, nudging him lightheartedly. "Why do you think I wanted you to stay out of trouble?"

"Can I ask you something?" Aaron said suddenly. I turned my eyes to look at him. He looked tired, bored. Glad to know the stake out was keeping him entertained.

"How did you get your name?"

"Jeb," I muttered. "One day in the School, before I met Fang or Iggy or anyone, he told me a story about a woman who could fly. How she let no one stop her. He made her sound so incredible, made me want to be just like her. He told me her name was Sally Ride."

"Like, the astronaut?"

I nodded. "And, I mean, combined with that, they were always telling me to be the best, the maximum. So, I just kind of mashed them together."

Aaron watched me, smirking. I snapped a small twig, peeling off the thin bark. "Want to know about Fang's?"

Aaron looked pretty interested in that.

"Fang bit me," I said, laughing, "while we were fighting each other in the school. We were, like, four. His teeth lodge in my shoulder." I edged my collar to the side to show him my scar. "I called him Fangface for a week until we shortened it to Fang."

Aaron grinned. "I'm not going to ever let him live that down," he said.

"The others don't know that," I said finally. "They don't know about 'Fangface'."

"I'm sure that's how he wanted it," Aaron agreed.

I let myself laugh, my eyes scanning the area around us again.

"Aaron!"

"What?" He sat forward, trying to see what I saw. "I don't see her."

"No, not _her_," I mumbled. "The babysitter is going in."

Aaron glanced at me before gluing his eyes back to the apartment's lobby entrance.

A few minutes went by - felt like an eternity. Then:

"There."

In seconds I was on my feet, snatching my backpack up and quickly weaving through the trees. Aaron was right beside me.

We kept pace with her for awhile on our side of the street before she turned, which caused us to cross. I hoped she didn't take a cab. Wouldn't she not want anyone to know she was going to her Headquarters of Evil everyday?

After a few minutes of trailing her, I realized something.

Aaron _sucked _as stepping lightly. He did this weird combination of stomping and dragging his feet. It totally didn't help that his shoes were squeaky.

"Oh my God," I said in exasperation, elbowing him as we followed Evelyn around a corner, weaving through people. "I could _carry you _and we'd look more inconspicuous."

"Don't offer unless you're willing to commit," Aaron threatened under his breath.

"Try not to walk…like that," I responded.

"I'm not going to change who I am for you."

"Aaron, I'm serious-"

Then I couldn't see her anymore.

Shit.

"Where'd she go?" I demanded, looking up at him. He shrugged, looking around, scanning the sea of people. Anxiety was getting the best of me, and I was wound tighter than…really tightly wound things.

Then Aaron said, "There!"

I breathed in relief and practically dragged him behind me as I shoved my way through the people on the street. I guess it was, like, sidewalk rush-hour since it was about six in the morning and people walked to work in the city.

I guess. That's just me, making a hasty assumption. Maybe it just felt crowded because I was hella paranoid.

"Max!" Aaron hissed, yanking on my arm. I looked at him in surprise before turning to scan the crowd again for Evelyn.

Then I saw her. Well, I saw her long, black hair hanging down her back as she stopped in front of an abandoned looking building that was only a few stories high. It was right between a dress boutique and toy store.

Seriously?

This was _it_?

Instead of walking in through the front - the doors were chained closed, but I'd figured she was going to unlock them or something - she quickly slipped into the alley between the dress shop and the shut down building.

It only took me seconds to map out our next move. I gritted my teeth.

"Come on."

• • •

Fang had expected either Dylan, Victor or Evelyn to be the next person he saw.

Not Nudge.

"Fang!" It was partly an exclamation because Nudge was surprised to see him, and partly a shout of protest as she was shoved into the room, her hands bound behind her back. It was Victor pushing her in, Fang noticed. Not Dylan.

"Dylan stayed back to take care of the oldest one," Victor said gruffly, smirking at Fang as he kicked Nudge forward, causing her to fall. "Taking him a long time, considering it's already morning. Maybe she gave in and he's having his way with her."

Nudge snarled, sweeping her foot back to trip Victor. He fell hard but returned her attack with another fierce kick. Nudge moaned, holding her stomach. Victor sneered and stood, grabbing her wrist and dragging her to the wall and chaining her up next to Fang.

"Well, your little family reunion is coming along quite nicely," Victor said, straightening his coat. "The others are almost done going through tests."

Then he left, the door sliding closed behind him.

"Fang," Nudge said breathlessly, leaning back against the wall and turning her head to look at him. Fang was weak, weaker than Nudge had ever seen him, but he still managed to send her a look that make her feel a bit better about this entire sucky situation. "Fang, your mom's a bitch."

Fang let out a noise that sounded a bit like a laugh, except that it died almost as immediately as it had begun. "I know," he muttered. Oh, boy, did he know. "Are you okay?"

Outside, Fang was calm and composed, if not a bit exhausted.

Inside, he was viciously cursing himself for letting this happen. How could he have let the others get captured.

"She did some tests, hooked my brain up to some machine for about an hour, then stuck me with a needle and sent me down here. The others are up there, too. Don't know why she did me first…Everyone but Max. I don't know where she is," Nudge said quickly. "God, Fang. This sucks, but it's really good to see you."

She couldn't stop looking at him. He didn't look older, stronger, like she'd imagined. He looked dead. She hated seeing him like that.

Fang was watching her, too. Nudge had grown. Gained a few inches. Really shaped up. She was, what, fourteen now? They'd all been growing for two years, all having new life experiences.

And he had missed all of it? He hated Evelyn for that.

Fang sighed. "You're so old."

Nudge looked at him, her eyes glistening, her lip trembling. "We thought…"

"I know."

"Or else we would've looked, Fang. I mean, we did look, for months, but we had no idea…and there was nothing leading us in any direction…it was like you'd up and left, out of nowhere! Max asked everyone we knew, and she didn't want to give up, none of us did, but we all thought you were dead. We had no idea that your mom was an evil scientist who had kidnapped you."

"I know."

"Because if we knew we never would've stopped. I hate us for stopping."

Fang sighed again. They couldn't dwell on past choices. It wouldn't help. What they needed to do was figure out a way to escape. Fang opened his eyes, scanning the small room for the bazillionth time, looking for anything that would help them escape.

But it was no use, as always. It wasn't worth it. Even if there were some trap door or hidden vent, how would they get out of the chains? The chains that seemed to have been made and enforced by God himself? He knew what being in this place for an extended time could do to someone's brain; to someone's hope. He had wished that the others would never have to live with that. That they'd never be reduced to what he had become.

And now they were here.

"What's that?" Fang asked hoarsely, sitting up. Honestly, he hadn't been fed in four days, and it could've been his mind or his stomach playing gross tricks on him. But…

That shiny metal thing on the ground looked suspiciously like a key.

"What the _hell _is that?" Fang asked again. Damn, he was going to be so furious if he was going crazy. That was the last thing he needed.

Nudge sat forward, looking around the room. "What?"

Fang pointed as well as he could with his arms chained to the wall. "Is that a key?"

It could've been. It had to have been. Nudge had knocked Victor to the ground when she kicked him. He must've dropped the key.

"Yeah," Nudge said, looking at him. "I think so."

Nudge didn't understand. She'd just gotten here; she hadn't gone through two years of having absolutely zero hope whatsoever. Nope. She didn't know what that was like.

So when Fang whooped in excitement, grinning at her and reaching out to grab her arm, she drew back in shock.

"Fang?"

"Can you reach it?" he asked. "Hurry. Someone could be watching. You have to hurry."

Nudge shot him another look before sighing and shimmying against the floor, trying to stretch out enough to reach the key on the ground.

Come on, come on, come on…

Nudge growled in exasperation. "I can't…"

"Take off your shoe," Fang hissed.

Nudge kicked off one of her sneakers and wiggled her toes inside her sock, then stretched with all her strength.

Fang could hear someone at the door.

"_Nudge_."

"I'm trying!"

Fang had never been even a bit religious, but he found himself praying that Nudge would just get the damn key before someone came in. _Please, God…_

Then, miraculously, Nudge's toes gripped the key and she straightened up, throwing the key at Fang with her foot. It skidded, stopping against his knee. And just as the door opened and Gazzy was thrown in, Fang tucked the key under his leg.

Fang exhaled heavily, leaning back against the wall. He silently thanked the greater powers that were finally, finally cutting him a break.

Maybe he was religious after all.

**A/N: Sorry about any mistakes, it was rushed. **

**SO, this story will probably have as many chapters as **_**Risks**_**. Maybe one or two more. It'll either be 23 chapters + Epilogue or 24 chapters + Epilogue. But remember: I don't know **_**fo sho**_**. And fo sho is really all that counts. **

**It's chapter 20, you know what that means. EVERYONE REVIEWS! Tell me:**

**-What you think about Aaron**

**-What you're feeling about Fang & the others**

**-What your favorite part has been thus far**

**AND**

**-If you enjoyed this chapter. IF SO: Why? Favorite part/line? Anything?**

**Talk to me. **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Cue large sigh. **

**I apologize for it taking me so long to get back in the swing of things, but I've had a hard week. If you didn't see my temporary-A/N, I lost a very close family member this past Tuesday, and it was…a really tiring, rough last few days. **

**So, thanks for the prayers and thoughts and especially taking the time to leave me sympathetic reviews. They help. Really. **

**But, I spent the first few days this week just being with family and all, and then I just tried to distract myself from thinking about…everything. I figured the worst way to distract myself from thinking was to **_**sit down and think about writing the next chapter, **_**so I waited. This sadness from the past few days, it wasn't an inspiring sadness. It was a discouraging, don't-want-to-do-anything, why-is-this-my-life sadness. But here I am.**

**Thank you so so so much for everything. You all are incredible. I'm sorry I kept y'all waiting for a few days. There's been a lot of family stuff going on and it feels like everything bad is happening all at once, and…**

**I've been busy. **

**But, I hope you all had a great Easter and everything. I've been cramming, trying to finish this story and make progress with my four other projects. Not to mention school work and all. (Which, I pushed off last week too, and thank God my teachers weren't assholes about it) So, yes. Bear with me. Soon the school year will be over and hopefully by then we'll have made tremendous progress with the third installation.**

**This story has already surpassed what **_**Risks **_**had, review-wise, and it's so much more than I ever expected so THANK YOU so much. Too. Awesome. You flatter me way too much and I don't deserve it, but thank you. **

**Anyways. I have a few shout-outs for all you lovelies who are above-and-beyond (BUT YOU ALL ARE, THESE ARE JUST THE ONES I COULD RESPOND TO QUICKLY). **

**Animalover99: I trust you when you say you aren't a creeper/murderer. And the whole teenager-who-stays-up-too-late thing: Aren't we all? Thanks so much, girl. Get some sleep!**

**FangLovesMeMost: Although your penname and my penname are contradictory, I think Fang would love to be a polygamist and marry us both. (: Anyways, I wanted you to know that your review (for chapter 20) brightened my ENTIRE horrible day and you are ****awesome****. Seriously. Reviews like that are the reason I write. I'm always excited to see what you'll say next! Thanks a bunch. **

**Heather: Gurl, you rock. You know, I have a friend named Heather. Now I have two! (: Keep doin' you. **

**officiallydana: o.m.g. You just make my day, you know that? You're great. Thanks so much. And you're right: **_**Fuck **_**cancer. At least fifteen people in my close family (grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles, and friends) have been diagnosed with cancer. Only two have beat it. Six have lost to it. And the others are still battling. And it's hell for every one of us. Anyways, you're really freaking cool, you know that? You know that. Thanks a billion. **

**pancakes-for-you: Pan - can I call you Pan? - you seriously crack me up. And, bonus, your reviews are always extra loud and excited in my head due to the all caps. So, that makes your reviews EXTRA AWESOME. (Did your head just yell right then?)**

**jetthedog: Why are you so awesome? And, just curious here, do you possibly have a dog? Maybe with the name…Jet? :O If so then I must be psychic. If not…well, lie and say I'm psychic anyways. Thanks!**

**greysky3: You have seriously been one of the best reviewers I've ever seen, and I wish I could thank you a million times for that. I know you're just naturally awesome, but still. Thanks for not suppressing it. Anyhow. I know, and I'm kind of disappointed in Fang too, but I'm also disappointed in myself for not getting Fang's situation across better. But, hopefully I can clean that up soon. And no worries, my friend. TONS OF FAX in the third one already, and I've only written like forty pages of it. TONS AND TONS AND…Yes. A lot of it. So, thank you for being so dang cool & dedicated!**

**DoomedToBeACrazyFanGirlForver: You aren't offensive at all! And I know you've been with this story since the get go, so I really truly do appreciate all you're doing. (And the prayers, the prayers helped an awful lot) Thanks!**

**A few other amazing people that I want to recognize: BlackStarGodliness, Elemental Dragon Slayer, TaylorAnn123, LovePercabeth4Ever, PolkadottedPandas, Mister Moronic, Split Syllables, MaximumLaughterLoves, AinsleyWright, maximumpotter, Freedominwriting, TheWall1706, awesomealpha11, Raisa ana' Mariana, totalbookworm42, AlyLuvsYou, .Clover, and **_**many **_**more. **

**Here's the next chapter. **

Fang briefly wondered if anyone had seen Nudge grab the key through the cameras, then realized that Victor had made it pretty clear that Dylan was long gone and Evelyn was busy torturing his family. Fantastic.

God, Fang hoped Max was okay. He hoped she was kicking ass and taking names and coming to help them all out of this big mess because he honestly didn't know what all he could accomplish on his own. He hadn't been let out of the chains in twenty-one months, and he hadn't really accomplished anything since he'd disappeared except for staying alive. Which, considering, was a pretty damn tough accomplishment.

After Nudge's difficulty with the key, she found that her magnetism still was in working condition. Fang wondered why Evelyn had left her powers and taken Fang's. Probably as punishment for being himself. Although, Fang thought being her son was enough of a punishment. Well, whatever.

"What's the key to?" Gazzy asked. The Gasman and Holden had spent a few minutes talking to Fang and saying how glad they were to see him. Fang was glad, too, but he was pissed that it was under these circumstances that they were finally hanging out. He'd be happier about this little reunion when they busted out.

"The door?" Nudge asked. Fang shook his head. He knew the door was locked by a code, but if Nudge's magnet powers were still rollin', they'd have no problem getting out once they unlocked the cuffs.

Which is what the key had to be for.

"The chains," Fang answered shortly. He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. "Gaz, your power workin'?"

"Now, Fang, when you address someone you need to look them in the eye."

And Fang swore Dr. Martinez was actually in the room with them for a second.

So, yeah, Gazzy's powers were intact.

Gazzy giggled to himself and Fang opened one eye, giving him a small grin. The Gasman beamed at him.

"You know, Fang, over the past two years," Gazzy said in his own voice, "you grew _a beard_."

Fang had to snort. Only the Gasman could lighten such a situation with such a statement.

"It's not a beard," Nudge defended Fang lightheartedly. "Not a _full _beard, anyway."

"I can see it from over here!" Gazzy said.

"Max is not going to kiss you like that," Holden added. Then the three of them were laughing, Fang leaning back against the wall, just listening. He was still getting used to hearing their chipper voices again, their laughter.

"So, uh," Gazzy recovered from his laughter, probably thinking Fang wasn't amused. He was just adjusting. Just waiting. Gazzy wasn't sure what to do. It was Fang who do the comforting, not the other way around. Fang who would fix the broken things, not the one getting fixed. "If we have the key, why aren't we unlocking the chains yet?"

"Because," Fang said. "Victor could be watching. When he comes down-"

Speak of the devil. The door slid open and Victor dragged a struggling Angel into the room.

_Angel! _Fang thought. He knew she'd hear him; Evelyn may've taken away Fang and Max's mind-reading power, but not Angel's.

Angel's eyes frantically searched for Fang in the dim room before her face lit up brightly. _Fang!_

_Get in his head. _Fang nodded just barely in Victor's direction. Angel's face spread into a slow grin. As Victor dropped Angel on the ground, his eyes began to glaze over.

"You shouldn't be locking us up," Angel said quietly with a determined face.

"I…I shouldn't lock you up," Victor repeated monotonously.

_What now? _Angel thought to Fang.

_Unlock us. Disarm the cameras. _

"You were going to unlock Fang," Angel said helpfully, her eyes locked with Victor's.

"I'll unlock Fang now," Victor said.

Victor came over to Fang slowly and grabbed the key by his knee. His eyes were still unfocused as he unlocked Fang's arms and legs. Fang jumped up and almost fell back down again, not used to being on his feet. He'd stood up maybe…once every month? Twice? Who knew anymore.

Fang was immediately unlocking Holden, then moving on to Nudge.

"Victor, it's time for you to disarm the security cameras," Angel instructed calmly, her voice soft and innocent. Frankly, she was scaring the living shit out of Fang, but he couldn't focus on that right then. Nudge jumped up and suffocated Fang in a painful hug, but he still managed to embrace her for a moment.

"Yes, I should disarm the cameras," Victor mumbled, walking across the room to the door and opening a box on the wall, flipping a few switches.

Fang moved across the room, feeling as if he were going to either fall over or pass out. He kneeled in front of Gazzy and quickly unlocked his chains. The Gasman threw his arms around Fang's neck and it took all Fang's strength not to topple over. He forced himself to hug the Gasman back while holding back a groan of pain.

What would it take to get him back in the groove? Would he ever be _Fang _again?

"Victor…Victor, _no _- Fang!"

Fang felt someone grab him from behind, and suddenly there was a strength inside him he hadn't felt in a long time. _Buck up_, he remembered Max telling him, _If I get there and you're not kicking some serious ass, I may just leave you._

He would start being Fang right _now_.

With all of his power, he shoved Victor across the room. His head hit the wall and he slid down, groaning. Holden, who was standing beside him, frantically lifted one of the chains and locked his arm. Nudge grinned when he started yelling and managed to lock up his other arm.

"Sorry, Fang," Angel gasped, looking at him. "He was hard to control."

Fang nodded and glared down at the boy now locked in his chains. He just wanted to kill him. Everything Victor had helped Evelyn do to him…it all flooded his mind and he saw red.

Angel cried out behind him and he snapped out of it. She stood behind him, holding her head, staring up at him in fear and something else Fang didn't know.

He knelt down to her level and swallowed. "Stay out. Okay?"

Who knew what she'd find in his mind? Fang didn't even want to see what was up there, and Angel definitely didn't need to.

Angel nodded, throwing her skinny arms around Fang's neck and he kissed her forehead.

"Nudge," Fang said, "door."

Nudge went to the sleek door and put her hand to the handle, closing her eyes. "Okay…Seven, three, three, eight, zero -"

Fang joined her and began punching in the numbers as she figured them out. The others stood right behind him as Victor yelled horrible things at them all. And if it would've been just Fang, he probably would've turned around and snapped Victor's neck.

But he wouldn't; not in front of them.

The door slid open and the four of them rushed out, making sure it locked behind them.

"Where's Iggy?" Nudge asked.

Angel climbed up the stairs steadily beside her brother. "He was the last one Evelyn was working on," Angel said. "I think he's still in the lab. Which, if Victor knows his stuff, is on the second floor above ground."

"How far down are we?"

"About ten stories," Angel said.

"Let's go," Fang said shortly, his voice low and gruff. Shit, these stairs were killing him. He gripped the railing.

The others didn't question him.

Once they reached the next flight of stairs, there was another door. Nudge fell on the lock and had it opened in seconds. Yeah, Ig was the best old-fashioned lock picker, but when it came to electronic codes…Nudge worked miracles.

They climbed the stairs and passed a decent number of levels before coming to a stop. "This is the ground floor," Nudge said, reading the plaque on the wall that had been stripped of it's titles. "If Ange is right, Iggy should be on the next-"

Angel gasped and stopped.

"Wait! I hear…"

"Iggy?"

Angel shook her head, which earned her a few worried looks. "I mean, yes. I hear him. But I also hear…"

"Max?"

Angel looked up at Fang, her eyes wide. "_Aaron_."

• • •

"Iggy, I have plans for you," Evelyn said, her voice flowing easily.

"Tell me something I don't know," Iggy spit at her.

"Your life has been hard," Evelyn said gently. "Unfair."

Fuck. Of course Iggy knew _that_. He wasn't sure anyone else was aware of just how unfair his life was. Of course, he was just as unlucky as the others with the whole raised-in-the-School, hunted-for-life thing going for him, but he went through it all _blind_. Which was, you know, just icing on the freaking cake at this point.

It wasn't like Iggy didn't know what it was like to see - he'd had his sight until he was six. He'd spent his formative years seeing and observing, relying on his eyes.

Then one day, he'd woken up in the dark. That day was burned into his mind forever.

_Iggy would never tell anyone, but he was terrified of the dark. _

_There was nothing scarier than when the whitecoats locked him and Max and Fang up in a dark, scary room. Or when they released Iggy alone in a pitch-black maze with a few Erasers. Or when he was blindfolded before being taken somewhere new and dangerous. Iggy hated the dark. The darkness made him feel alone and lost. The darkness was a place where he could never be safe. _

_Darkness was bad. _

_Darkness was Iggy's worst fear, though he'd never tell Max and Fang. _

_Darkness was about to become Iggy's world - Iggy's living nightmare. _

_That day, Iggy opened his eyes and saw nothing. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but it was no use. He could hear Max's quiet voice somewhere near him to the right, but he couldn't make out the words. There was no other voice, but Iggy could tell that Fang was in the room. _

_Frantic, Iggy sat up quickly and hit his forehead on the roof of his dog cage. He groaned, reaching up to rub his eyes. Why couldn't he see? Usually his raptor vision enabled him to see even in the really dark rooms. Usually he'd be able to see something. Anything. _

_But now there was nothing. _

"_Iggy!" That was Max, her voice loud and relieved. Iggy nervously pushed his fingers through the bars of his cage and Max's found his immediately, giving him a squeeze. "Iggy, you've been sleeping for a long time." _

"_I…"_

"_Jeb wouldn't tell me'n Fang nothin'," Max continued worriedly. _

"_Where're we?" Iggy asked. "Why's it so dark in here?" _

"_We never moved nowhere," Max said. "Open your eyeballs, silly." _

"_I did!" Iggy said. He was starting to get scared; why was it so dark for him if Max said it wasn't? Was she pranking him? _

"_Iggy?" Fang said quietly, questioningly. _

"_Why can't I see? Max, I can't see!" _

_Max dropped Iggy's fingers. He guessed in shock. _

_Oh, what was he going to do if he couldn't see? How was he supposed to live with no eyes? He needed his eyes! He was nothing if he couldn't see! He'd die without his eyes! It was dark here, so dark, and he couldn't live in the dark forever…_

"_Iggy…" Max whispered. "What do you mean?" _

"_It's dark," Iggy cried desperately. "Max, I can't…"_

_The door opened and Iggy heard loud, firm footsteps coming toward him. Tears poured out of his eyes as he shoved himself against the back of his cage. The darkness, it was coming for him, he wasn't safe in the darkness…_

_His cage was opened and whoever it was ignored his fearful screams and cries as they dragged him out and took him out of the room. He fought the entire time. He kept trying to see, kept trying to see something…He'd rather look a mean whitecoat right in the hateful eyes rather than not see a thing…nothing but darkness everywhere…_

_After a while of frantic trying, though, Iggy squeezed his eyes shut and went still as a board. If he pretended his eyes were just closed, maybe he wouldn't be so afraid. The darkness was temporary. The darkness wasn't permanent. No, no, no. Iggy, silly Iggy. The darkness wasn't permanent. _

_It couldn't be permanent. It couldn't. _

It was never the same for him. Fang and Max helped Iggy as best they could, but they didn't get it. They didn't understand. How could they really, truly help him if they didn't _understand_?

He could still picture Max and Fang as they had been, six years old, in the School. The others, he had to imagine. He made up pictures in his mind. Sometimes they'd explain things in detail to him, but even then it was hard. Iggy had never seen anything outside the School. Never.

Iggy knew he was out of luck. The simple things in life that everyone enjoyed were things he wasn't able to do. He would never drive, he would never read a book, he would never go see a movie. He couldn't play Pictionary. He couldn't draw. He couldn't watch the sunset.

He'd never be able to see Ella's face.

He'd never be able to see his kids.

Iggy couldn't do a lot of things. Iggy was stuck in the darkness forever.

"I can help you, Iggy," Evelyn said. "I can give you eyes."

Iggy hated himself for it, but when Evelyn said that, he almost considered taking her up on her offer. The _one _thing he wanted in the whole world, and this woman would give it to him? The one thing he thought he'd never have? His _biggest dream _in the world?

Have you ever wanted something more than _anything_?

Has it ever been handed to you on a silver platter?

It sure as hell hadn't for Ig. But now here it was, Evelyn's offer dangled in front of him like a worm on a hook, and Iggy was almost desperate enough to bite onto it.

She could give him eyes. She could let him _see_. She could free him from his life of eternal darkness.

Iggy would do anything for that.

"All you have to do," Evelyn said softly, "is help me."

Well, _would _he do anything? Would he do _that_? Help the enemy? Betray the flock? Turn against his family?

No.

He wouldn't.

It was then that Iggy realized there _was _something more important to him. There _was _something he wanted more than his sight. He wanted his family to be safe and happy. He wanted the flock to be able to live without fear. He would do anything to keep them safe.

Even choose to stay in the darkness for the rest of his life.

He'd choose blindness a million times.

"How about…_no_."

Iggy felt really cool right then. Of course, he'd have felt cooler if he hadn't been strapped to an operating table. God, was this scenario bringing back scary memories.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Evelyn said.

Iggy almost snorted. There was _always _a choice.

• • •

"Looks like she's been climbing fire escapes after all," Aaron said as we crept through the alley. He pointed to the back of the building, which appeared to have no door on the main level. _Appeared_.

"For some reason, I don't think she'd be climbing the fire escape in _heels_," I said, examining the flat brick wall.

"Just because you can't do heels doesn't mean the whole female population can't," Aaron said. Then he shook his head at me, pointing. "Found it."

Props to Aaron. The door was practically invisible; even with my raptor vision, I'd skipped right over it. We made our way to it as silently as possible. We could be a door away from saving Fang and the others. Just that thought alone made me jittery and nervous.

My imagination was running wild. What would we open the door to? An office with a swarm of evil scientists waiting for us? A lab where my flock would be under the needle? Was it stupid for me to take Aaron with me? Should I make him stay outside?

"I'm going," Aaron said under his breath firmly, noticing the way I was looking at him and biting my lip. As if to prove his point, Aaron reached out and grabbed the doorknob before I could stop him.

"Aaron!" I hissed.

But the doorknob didn't protest as much as I did, and suddenly Aaron was walking into the building as if it were his own house.

Remind me why I let him tag along in the first place? Oh, yeah, I _didn't_ let him.

I followed right on his heels, ready to shove him out the door behind me and kick butt. But Aaron stopped abruptly before me and I bumped into him. Then I looked around.

"Are you sure…"

"She went in here," I said. "Positive."

"Well, it doesn't look like anyone's been in here in a long time," Aaron said. The room was stripped of furniture. There was an old reception desk in the middle of the room that was covered in dust. There was absolutely no trace that anyone had been in there in a long time.

Why would she walk into an abandoned building?

Unless…

Unless the _rest _of it wasn't abandoned.

I walked toward the receptionist desk, which displayed a dusty list of floors and levels. The names of the floors had been taken off, but it still showed us that there were five levels to the complex.

"We need to go up," I said, spinning around the room.

Aaron walked over to a set of elevator doors on the far wall. There was caution tape strung in front of the doors, but Aaron reached forward and pressed the button a few times. "Elevator's dead," he reported. I nibbled on my lip, surveying the lobby of the supposed-abandoned building.

"Okay," I said, tugging on his arm. "But I'm guessing the stairs aren't."

Our eyes landed on the door leading to the stairs, and I knew in that moment that we'd both decided already. In seconds we'd yanked open the doorway.

"Stay behind me," I demanded.

Aaron mocked me under his breath. This kid, I swear…

I made my way up the flight of stairs ahead of me. Aaron moved behind me as quietly as he was capable of. Which, let's be honest here, wasn't very quietly. But I appreciated his trying.

We rounded a corner and climbed a few more stairs before finding ourselves blocked by a door.

I eyed the lock, which was a small keypad, wondering how the hell we were going to break into this place. Maybe we could go back outside and break into a window…That is, if the windows weren't booby trapped and guarded.

I didn't even have time to make up a plan before Aaron and I heard a gunshot, right behind the door.

"Nudge! Control panel, _now_!"

I had one thought before everything was in complete chaos.

That was _Fang's _voice.

**A/N: That was **_**really poorly developed**___**I'm soooo sorry. **

**Confused?**

**-Fang, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel are on the second floor, behind the door, in the control room. **

**-Ig and Evelyn are in the lab, also on the second floor. **

**-Aaron and Max are on the other side of the door leading **_**to **_**the control room.**

**-Victor's locked up ten stories underground and Dylan…**

**Well, you have to wait and see. **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Aw, y'all rock. Shout out to my 500th reviewer - who also has a way of making my day - FangLovesMeMost! Great job, chica!**

**This chapter is way shorter than the previous one, but…eh. I like it. **

_I had one thought before everything was in complete chaos. _

_That was Fang's voice. _

Fang was alright? Fang was alive? Fang was with the others?

The correct answer was: All of the above.

It was almost too good to be true, and I couldn't let myself be relieved. Not yet. Not until we were all out of this place and Fang's evil mom was locked up forever. Not until we were okay.

"Gun," I breathed to Aaron, and he nodded grimly. _Someone _had a gun in there. We probably weren't lucky enough that it was one of the _good _guys, either. It was only getting worse for us, frankly.

A lunatic is bad enough.

A lunatic with a gun? Ugh.

Spare me.

"Okay, we-"

"Angel's talking to me," Aaron said, his fingers curling around my wrist. I turned to look at him, only to see him closing his eyes in concentration as he communicated with her in his mind. I couldn't help but remember the first time she'd spoken to him in his mind; he'd just taken a drink of soda, and snorted it through his nose when she shouted his name in his mind.

That felt like a hundred years ago.

"What? Is she in there, too?"

"Ready?" he asked, pulling me back. In that second, the heavy metal doors slid open before us.

The room we were staring into was cluttered with complicated technological equipment and monitors and computers and blinking lights. Honestly, I wasn't exactly sure what Aaron and I were stepping into.

Was it smart for me to drag him into this?

Look at what happened to Maya… Could I live with myself if something happened to Aaron here?

"Max!" That was Gazzy. His head snapped up from where he was across the room. I grabbed Aaron's bicep and shoved him behind me as everyone's eyes zeroed in on us. In the next three seconds of silence, I took in our surroundings.

In an open doorway across the room stood Evelyn and Iggy, the latter sporting a colorful black eye. His arms were tied - or maybe cuffed, couldn't tell - behind his back. He looked pretty lost at this point. My eyes definitely didn't miss the gun in Evelyn's right hand.

Halfway between us and them, Nudge and Angel were standing at what looked to be a control-panel-type situation, decked out with numerous buttons and screens and switches. Nudge's fingers were running expertly over the equipment, reading whatever left-over energy she could, trying to figure out something that was probably way to complicated for me to think about. Angel was holding a remote-looking control that I figured had opened the door for Aaron and I.

Then my eyes landed on the Gasman and Holden and who they were standing next to.

Fang.

I'd imagined breaking him out of this hellhole a million times since our first shared dream days ago. I'd envisioned hundreds and hundreds of scenarios. Practically fantasized about it. Hell, I'd obsessed over it. It was partly the reason Iggy had been right; I'd neglected myself these past few days because nothing else had mattered except finding Fang. And now that we had…

I didn't even get his name out before Nudge altered something on the control table she'd been messing with.

I was vaguely aware of the fact that Fang and I were no longer blocked from each other.

Then I wasn't aware of anything but raw, excruciating emotion. I choked. It was like I was being ripped apart. Like I _needed _to scream or cry until I just couldn't anymore. Like I'd explode if I didn't burst into tears. Like there was no solution to the pain and the fear and the hopelessness I was feeling, and there was also no escape. I was stuck in it forever, and I'd never get away from it.

A physical pain hit me almost immediately after the feelings, and I was going to throw up. I was bleeding, I was suddenly broken all over, and it was so agonizing that I wanted to die. My body was being torn apart, kicked to pieces, and my very being was _on fire_. I was sliced open and dying and my entire body was being violently mutilated and I hated my life and myself in a new, terrifying way-

"Fang, stop!" Angel cried, and I only _barely _heard it through my own blood-curling scream as I collapsed on the ground.

"Max!" Aaron stared at me with a deer-in-the-headlights look, unsure how to handle that particular situation.

"Fang, _block her_!" Angel screamed frantically.

As suddenly as it was there, it was gone.

"Max?" Aaron's voice was low and shaky, his eyes frantic as they searched my face. "Max, what happened?"

"That is enough!" Evelyn shouted, holding the gun more prominently.

Everyone was silent. I locked my eyes with Fang, who was staring at me. His eyes were full of a lot of things, but mostly apology.

_That had been his mind. _

Had that been the Voice? Or me? I wasn't sure; all I knew was that Fang and I had gotten our powers back. I don't know how - must've had something to do with Nudge's handy work at the control panel - but that short glimpse of Fang's thoughts scared the hell out of me. He was a different person now.

And suddenly, my biggest worry wasn't Aaron. It was Fang. Could he handle this? Could he hold his own? How much could he take right now?

"Do I need to prove that I'm serious?" Evelyn asked snidely. "Shall I kill the normal one to prove my point?"

And…that was what I'd been afraid of. My heart leapt into my throat. Maya's last moments flashed in my mind as if it were yesterday, not over two years ago. And suddenly I can't think or move or do anything. All I see is Maya, lying in her own blood…

Evelyn pointed her gun unwaveringly at Aaron, her eyes bright.

We all collectively held our breath.

"Anything you want to say, dear?" Evelyn asked calmly.

"Uh," Aaron glanced at me. "Max, I gotta tell you something."

He was staring down the barrel of a gun, and he had a confession for _me_? Seriously? Oh, God…

"I bet Ig that you wouldn't get knocked up before graduation," he said, giving me a look. "Could you'n Fang be extra careful? I got twenty bucks on the line."

Are you _fucking _kidding me?

Evelyn scoffed in disgust, but before she could think of making those idiotic words Aaron's last, Iggy quickly shoved her with his shoulder, brought his arms forward and skillfully jumped over his cuffed wrists - something I'd only ever seen in movies. Like a ninja or something. Then he swung his still-connected hands towards Evelyn's head, and since she was so unsuspecting of the blind kid's combat tactics, he was able to knock her down. She fell limply to the ground. Her gun skidded across the floor to land in the middle of the room.

Never, ever underestimate the blind kid.

"Aaron, you just fucking cheated!" Iggy complained, as if he were only upset that their secret bet was revealed. Aaron shrugged.

Whatever. I didn't even care. I was suddenly running across the room to Fang, and as soon as I reached him I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him so hard on the mouth that I probably bruised his lips. After a moment I pulled away so I could breathe.

"Fang…How are you? Are you alright?" I gasped. I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing my eyes shut. God, it was really him. How many times had I imagined this moment? A hundred? A million? Too many times to count. And it was so much more incredible than I'd pictured it. This wasn't a dream this time. This was really, truly him.

Despite everything, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world. After thinking Fang was dead all this time, I was finally, finally holding him again. Something I'd never thought I'd be able to do. Something I thought was gone forever. I couldn't believe it was happening. How could I have gotten so lucky?

It was one of those moments that you never really understand just how much you missed someone until you see them again. I just had this sudden urge to hold him, to wrap my arms around him and know that he was real. To believe he was okay with my whole heart. To convince myself that he was Fang, he was my Fang, and he was okay.

"I'm hanging in there," he said quietly into my hair. "You?"

Oh, Fang…I just wanted to cry. "I'm good," I choked out. I pulled back, nodding, looking up at him, touching his scruffy cheek. "I mean, I'm a lot better now."

Fang just smiled slightly at me, as if I were something amazing. God, I _felt _amazing right then. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted to never let go.

The others, though they were probably dying to have their own, less-mushy reunions with Fang, stood back and let us have our moment, just the two of us.

For a second, everything was just perfect. I could forget about Evelyn, laying unconscious on the floor; Dylan, wherever the hell he was. I could wipe Fang's alarming thoughts and violent memories out of my head. I was just so relieved that they were all okay. That _we _were all okay.

I felt so lucky. So damn lucky.

I spoke too soon.

The sound of a door swooshing open was followed directly with a gun being fired. I pushed away from Fang quickly, ordering everyone to get down, quickly scanning the others to make sure no one had suddenly dropped dead. How could I have let myself get distracted? Evelyn didn't even have her gun! Plus, she was unconscious! If it wasn't her…

"Max," a voice I've come to hate with all my heart said softly, "forgive me."

And Dylan shoved me back, pointing the gun at Fang's head.

**A/N: Go home Dylan, you're drunk. **

**Jk. **

**But seriously, Dylan. **

**Get out. **

**Review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Oh, goodness.**

**It's been a rough few weeks. **

**I just want to give a shout out to any of those whose family members or friends were injured or killed - or even reported missing - in the Boston Marathon on 4-16-13. AND in the devastating explosion in West, Texas. My thoughts and prayers go out to you. Losing someone you love…that's a pain you can't imagine until it happens to you. Whether it was sudden or not, it hurts. It **_**sucks**_**. And we try to blame someone and we try not to be angry but it's **_**okay **_**to feel sad and angry and lost. It is. I do. It shows that we're human. It shows that we're compassionate. **

**You know, the Tuesday after the bombing, my newspaper teacher came to me and asked me to write the story for the front page. I asked her if she had any ideas, and she said, "Kindness." **

**I had absolutely no idea how to approach that topic. At all. But now I think I've got it. And I really hope I can speak to the people at my school like I seem to speak to you. All I can hope is that I manage to provoke some **_**deep thinking **_**- and maybe a change in character. **

**On a less intense note, I'm drowning. **

**My school work has piled up. Between school, rehearsal, and visiting family members, I've gotten zero time to write. I'm sorry. I'm goin'. My plan is to have the story finished before May, but seeing how everything bad has been happening at once…I can't make promises. **

**Read on! I hope this chapter can, again, make you think. And stay safe, guys. **

**I really appreciate all the support I've gotten - both for my story and my sanity. It helps a ton. You guys are amazing!**

Time slammed to a halt.

One moment I was so elated, so full of bright emotions I hadn't felt in ages, and I was holding Fang, and I was surrounded by everyone I loved -

Then Fang had a gun pointed to his head.

It was that sudden. There was an immediate change in atmosphere, and my once-settled stomach was rolling. I felt so unhappy, but not just unhappy - _sick_. Like I needed to rip away from my skin, rip away from this life, from this terror. Like nothing would ever comfort me or make me feel better except if Dylan lowered the gun from Fang's head.

The first thought that ran through my mind was, _Oh, please don't take him from me. _

I don't know who that thought was directed to. I guess it was just a blanket plead to all the powers in the universe. I didn't care at that moment who stopped this - I just needed _someone _to stop it.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't _breathe_.

I stumbled back as Dylan shoved me away from Fang, and in seconds I was on my butt, sitting next to Evelyn's gun. I didn't even think about grabbing it - it was suddenly gripped tightly in both of my hands, pointed at Dylan. Like an instinct - one that scared the living hell out of me.

But seeing someone point a gun at the person you love most in the world forces you to make risky choices. A lesson I was learning the hard way.

"Dylan, drop the gun," I said slowly. "You don't want to hurt Fang."

Dylan shook his head, almost violently, his eyes darting around the room but never once landing on me. "Yes - yes, I really do want to. I've wanted to kill him for a long time. He's the problem. He's the only thing standing in the way of us, Max. Just him. Fang. He needs to go."

I made it to my feet slowly. My movement seemed to set Dylan more on edge and he shifted, clenching the gun tighter in his hand.

My eyes locked with Fang's. He was staring right at me, as if we were the only two people in the world. I begged him not to taunt Dylan right then; he was acting crazy, and who knew what he'd do if Fang set him off.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron, Holden and Iggy pushing the others behind them, watching the three of us in the middle of the room intently. I heard Nudge's labored breathing as she watched from behind Aaron's back.

"Put the gun down, Dylan."

I didn't know what else to say. I just wanted to scream at him _Put the gun DOWN!_ My heart was pounding loudly in my ears and I was breathing fast. He had to. He had to stop. He had to put it down.

Oh, God.

"Evelyn knew what she was doing. Evelyn had a plan. A good plan. A smart plan. Get rid of the others. Get rid of the ones standing between us. All of them, gone. And we could be together. Safe and together. That was Evelyn's plan. For us, Max."

"No," I said, trying to sound calm. "No, Dylan. She was using you. Controlling you."

"_I _came to _her_," he said frantically, still avoiding eye contact. "I _wanted _to help her. I could've left whenever I wanted. But I didn't. Because I'd do anything for you, Max. Anything."

"Then _don't _do _this_," I said softly.

All of my knowledge from cop shows, all of my training - it flew out the window. What had Jeb always said about gunmen? What had he drilled into my head about gun safety?

In the shows with crazed gunmen, do they plead the psychos and try to show them they're wrong? That was what I was doing. I needed to make Dylan see; I needed him to snap out of it.

Or did they assert authority and make them stop? Did they stay calm?

I didn't remember. I didn't have time to remember. I just had to get Dylan away from that gun before he hurt Fang - or any of us, for that matter.

"I have to do this!" He shouted. His face was turning red, his eyes crazy and his chest heaving. "Fang is dangerous! Especially for you! What kind of man would I be if I let you be around danger?"

If the situation hadn't been so insanely serious, Aaron would've been all over that, making fun of the way Dylan seemed to worship me or whatever.

But Dylan was holding a gun to Aaron's best friend's head.

So he kept his mouth shut. For once.

"It's not up to you to _let _me do anything!" I said, peeved. Fang gave me a warning look that was somewhere around the lines of _don't mess with the lunatic who's holding me at gunpoint. _

Oops.

"Dylan, we can talk about this. I'm sorry about how things ended. I'm sorry you left-"

"You _kicked me out_," Dylan hissed. "You made me go."

I nodded, swallowing. He was right. That was my part in all of this - I was the instigator. All of the sudden, I had to wonder: What would have happened if I hadn't kicked him out? Would we even be in this mess today?

Another question popped up in my head.

What if I had refused to meet Fang in that café nearly three years ago? What if I'd seen him through the window of the cafeteria and I'd ignored him and went on with my day? Forgotten about him? Would we be in this mess still? Would we be going through all of this? Would Fang had gotten captured? Would I'd been in a coma?

"Yes. I did kick you out. So take it out on me instead."

"Max-" Fang began.

"Shut _up_!" I shot Fang a look that probably would've killed him faster than a gun. Because if I had to choose, it'd be me. Of course.

"But it was because of _Fang _that you made me leave!" Dylan yelled, returning his focus to the gun pointing at Fang. "It was his fault!"

"No!" I was getting a bit frantic now; Dylan seemed dead set on taking Fang's life today. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't. It was _Fang_. He'd already gotten away from me so many times and I'd be damned if it happened again.

Dylan seemed to look everywhere but at me, and suddenly I realized that the best thing for him probably wasn't me pointing a gun at him. Maybe I just needed to calm him down.

"Dylan," I said, lowering the gun to my side.

Reluctantly, Dylan turned his head and let his eyes meet mine. I held up the gun, which made him flinch, and slowly set it on the ground. I straightened slowly, glancing quickly at Fang before back to Dylan.

_Don't move, _I thought to Fang. _Just…trust me. _

Fang barely nodded, which made Dylan's eyes snap back to look at him.

"Dylan," I said. "Put it down. Let's talk."

"We can't ever be together if Fang's around," Dylan said softly.

"If you kill him, I still won't love you," I insisted. "It doesn't work that way!"

"And if I don't kill him, you _will _love me?"

I didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. Because, truthfully, I wouldn't love him under any circumstances. I loved Fang. Not Dylan. Never Dylan.

And he needed to understand that.

"Right," Dylan said. "That's what I thought."

"So you'd rather I hated you _forever_?" I demanded shakily. "You want to live with that guilt?"

"There'll be no guilt. Evelyn said this was how it was supposed to be."

Shit. Evelyn was, like, the worst mother of the year. Someone give the lady a prize.

"Dylan, you don't get to play God," I said. "You don't decide what's fair."

"God?" Dylan laughed, looking over his shoulder at me. "God? There is no God. If there was, why would I be stuck programmed to love you? Why would you choose Fang and not me? Why would _God _do that to me?"

I stared at him.

"No, this isn't about playing God," Dylan said. "It's about getting what I deserve."

He deserved a well-placed kick in the you-know-where.

Fang was still watching me, and I realized that I didn't know what to do. The truth was, _one _wrong move, _one _wrong word, and Fang could die.

"I'm sorry that this has to happen."

"It doesn't!" I cried. I reached down and gripped the gun tightly between my two hands, hesitating for a moment before resting my finger delicately on the trigger. And even when Dylan pressed the gun to the skin of Fang's temple…I couldn't.

I couldn't kill him.

It wasn't up to me to play God, either. It wasn't up to me to decided when Dylan died - if he did at all.

No. I knew what guns were capable of. I'd had them pointed at me a hundred times. And after watching Maya die at the hand of someone else, with just one pull of a trigger, I couldn't force myself to do it. I couldn't.

I'll admit it. I felt sorry for Dylan. I couldn't _imagine _loving Fang and having to watch him choose someone else over me. I couldn't bear to even _think _about it. I couldn't imagine being programmed to _worship _someone who didn't want anything to do with me. Who wanted me gone, who was annoyed by my presence. That was a nightmare. That was hell.

It wasn't that I loved Dylan. I didn't love Dylan. But…not liking someone and wanting them dead are two different things. People say "Ugh, I wish she'd get hit by a bus," but how would they feel if that person really _did_? My guess would be _really bad_.

The fact of the matter is, when you actually have the power to kill someone you dislike… You still won't want to do it. Your morals, your conscience, won't let you. In the end, whether you hate the person or not, they're still a person. In my case, a person who loved me. A person who gave his everything to me and I couldn't love him back.

And I think I kind of hated myself for hurting him like that.

But I couldn't kill him. Even with Fang's life on the line, I could not force my finger to pull the trigger. I froze, my entire body going cold and rigid with fear.

As suddenly as it had started, it was over. Dylan dropped his gun, letting it clatter to the floor. I expected to see Fang kicking his ass or something, but he still hadn't moved. Dylan turned and moved toward me, suddenly, staring at the gun poised in my hand. Then his eyes moved up to my face.

His eyes revealed everything to me. All of his feelings, all of his thoughts and fears. I could read him, I could see how much he was hurting. How conflicted he was.

I pulled my finger off the trigger, afraid it might slip.

Dylan gave me a look, cocking his head to the side. "You won't kill me."

And now he could read me, too. He knew I couldn't do it. Maybe he was the only one in the room who knew it.

"Even if I asked you to," Dylan said softly. He moved closer. When his chest was centimeters from the gun, I pulled it back. Dylan grabbed my hand forcefully and pulled it forward so it was pressed to his chest, over his heart. "Even if I made you." His hand made my finger curl around the trigger again.

"And maybe you _should _kill me. Maybe it would be better for all of us if I was dead."

I wanted to cry. I _knew _Dylan; or, at least, I thought I knew him. He'd been such a happy, sweet person, and now he was telling me that the world would be better off without him. That no one loved him. The worst part was, I couldn't honestly tell him I disagreed.

The person he'd become was dangerous and unstable. _He _needed to go. But I wanted the old Dylan back. The Dylan I saw in his eyes.

"I wonder why you can't do it," Dylan said, looking at the gun in awe. "Perhaps because you're like me; deep down, you remember every moment we had together, every word we exchanged."

I stared up at him, almost afraid of what he was saying. Afraid it was going to become true.

"I remember," Dylan said. "I remember every single moment. Every look. Every word. Every touch. Max, I remember. Don't tell me you don't remember any of it. It's all I can think about, Max."

It was all I could think about now, too. Every moment I'd ever had with Dylan was running through my mind against my will, and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the old Dylan. The one who was so sweet and protecting. Not destructive. Not _this_.

"Tell me you hate me, tell me you want me dead," he whispered. "And I'll leave him alone. I'll kill myself."

I stared up at him.

"I won't even make you do it," he said, backing me up slowly. The gun was still pressed to his heart. "I'll do it myself. And you and Fang and the others, you guys can all have a happy ending. Isn't that what you want?"

My back hit the wall. He leaned down, so his face was right in mine. "_Isn't it_?"

Wasn't it?

No. I couldn't.

_Fang, I can't-_

_I know,_ he thought.

And the next thing I knew, Fang swung the gun, hard, and it cracked against Dylan's head.

Then it was all happening really fast around me. Holden immediately stepped forward and gingerly pulled the gun from my hand.

Fang was in front of me, grabbing my hand and my chin. He turned my face up to look at him, and I stared back.

"Is he…?" I whispered. I couldn't look. Not if I saw Dylan lying dead at my feet.

Fang shook his head. "Max? Are you okay?"

I exhaled roughly, pulling him against me. He was the one who was a mess; he was the one who wasn't okay. The one who'd been held at _gunpoint_. But here he was, checking on me. I pulled him tight against me and squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to break.

I pulled away from him. I stared up at him, trying to express to him everything I wasn't saying or thinking. He sighed and brushed my hair back gently. His thumb grazed my cheek and-

"_You need to do this," Max said, grabbing my arm. I looked down at her, my black hair flopping into my eyes. _

"_What do I say?" I asked lowly. _I'm your brother. Our mom is an evil woman who I just helped lock up in jail. Want to move in with me?

_Max smiled gently, letting her hand move down my arm and hold my hand. "Something like that. But, remember. She's only ten." _

_I ripped my eyes away from Max and looked across the police station at the girl sitting alone at an officer's desk. She did look just like me. The officer in charge of Evelyn's case was also in charge of what happened to Emma, and as of right now, they were looking into foster care._

_A sister. I…had a sister. Who would've thought? _

"_It's this or a foster home," Max said quietly. "We can give her better than that, Fang."_

_I locked eyes with her. _

_Max nodded and smiled, pulling me behind her. _

"_Hey, Emma," Max said. _

"_Hello," Emma said, looking at Max. "Max, right? I've heard about you." _

Who hasn't? _I thought. Max elbowed me lightly. _

"_Emma, there's someone you need to meet." _

I gasped, staring up at Fang. I'd forgotten what it was like to have visions in Fang's point of view. He stared at me, willing me to tell him what I'd seen.

We had _a lot _of questions for each other. Instead of filling him in just then, I grabbed his hand in mine and turned to the others. They were all watching us, ready for the next move. I sighed, looking around at Dylan and Evelyn and the control room pulsing around us.

"Nudge-"

_Beep, beep, beep_. "On it," Nudge said, giving me a thumbs up.

And it was so quiet in the room that we could _all _hear the woman's response - maybe even Aaron, despite his normal-kid hearing.

"911. What is your emergency?"

**A/N: Well, that was exhausting. **

**I think perhaps three more chapters after this one, guys. Review, please!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: This is awkward. Um, Dylan didn't die. Sorry. Dylan will continue being his problematic-self. Just not -here-.**

**Okay, read!**

The hotel was cheap.

Or, at least, that was what Iggy told me when I discovered he'd bought us three rooms; one for boys, one for girls, and one for Fang and I.

"You need it," he said, grabbing my arm. He didn't sound teasing, but right then I couldn't really tell for sure. The others were already in their rooms, and once Iggy left I went into the room Fang and I got.

He was standing in the middle of the room, just looking at everything.

"Hey," I said softly. It was already nighttime; we'd spent all day talking with police and making statements. By now, the entire country knew about Fang's scandal, whether we liked it or not. Emma, though, was staying with the babysitter at her mom's house until we met up with her at the police station tomorrow to talk about the next step. She didn't know about her brother yet. They still hadn't met each other.

Dylan, Victor, and Evelyn had been taken into custody shortly after our 911 call. We'd gone to the police station, been interviewed multiple times, and before I knew it, it was nine PM.

So we got a hotel room. In all honesty, I didn't know how we were going to get home. Fang hadn't flown in two years, and he was in no condition to be flying.

He was having trouble letting himself sit on the bed.

"I haven't…" he trailed off. I stood behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist delicately. _I haven't seen a bed in…_

"Two years," I whispered into the back of the cotton t-shirt that we'd made him change into. I could feel his wings beneath the shirt. "I know. Just think of how glorious the shower is going to feel."

Fang turned around to look at me.

I took a deep breath. "It's going to be hard, I know," I said, running my hands up and down his arms comfortingly. "I'm here."

He leaned forward and kissed my head gently. I pulled him to the bathroom and leaned against the door frame as he slowly pulled his shirt off. Most likely because he didn't want me to see his new scars.

"You need help?" I asked finally.

He raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. "Well, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Okay," I said, looking at him. After a second of silence, I left, closing the door behind me. Then I went over to the boys' room.

"How is he doing?" Holden asked, sitting up when I came in. The other three looked at me curiously.

"He's in the shower," I said.

"What, and you're not helping?" Aaron asked.

"I tried," I insisted. He chuckled, rolling his eyes. Iggy, who was across the room, asked me how he _really _was.

"It's just different," I said, sighing. I sat down on one of the beds. "He hasn't seen anything but chains and a brick wall for two years."

They all nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Nudge and Angel came into the room, both dressed in pajamas.

"How's Fang? Can we see him?"

"He's going to be different, guys," I said, pulling Angel up onto my lap. She was nine now, but she still let me cuddle her like a little kid this time. "He's trying to get back into the swing of things. You have to remember, he's been alone for two years. Tortured. It's going to be a lot different."

"Just treat him like normal," Iggy said softly. "That'll help."

I nodded. "Yeah, don't be gentle with him or anything. He's still our Fang."

And as I said this, I reassured myself, too.

"Okay," I said, kissing Angel's cheek. "Bedtime. Long day, huh?"

Looooooong day. I hugged and kissed the Gasman, too, then Nudge. Then, once I'd said goodnight to everyone, I went back into the room Fang and I had.

On the floor in the middle of the room, I saw a long black feather. Fang's. Which reminded me: When was the last time Fang washed his wings? I sighed and went over to my backpack, pulling out a pair of shorts and tugging them on. I was already in a tank top. Then I grabbed a pair of shorts from the clothes Nudge and Holden had gone out to get for Fang since he had no wardrobe.

I knocked on the bathroom door. The water was still running. I heard Fang answer, "What?"

I pushed into the bathroom and was immediately engulfed by steam. _Whoa, usin' all the hot water, buddy? _

_Yeah, _Fang thought to me. _What?_

"Here," I said, shoving the shorts in past the curtain.

_Might've been a while since I had a decent shower, but I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to get out before putting clothes on. _

"Put them on, I'm coming in," I said.

"What?" he said, sounding surprised. But, the shorts did leave my hand, and a second later I climbed into the hot shower spray with him.

I couldn't help it. My eyes darted immediately to his chest, his scars. Big, deep cuts that had long-since healed, going up and down his chest and sides.

God.

I looked up at him. "Okay, let's see what we can do for your wings," I said softly. The water was already soaking my grey tank top and black shorts, but that was okay. I made Fang turn around so his back was under the stream and I was behind him, standing behind the water spray. He slowly let out his wings and I grabbed the travel sized shampoo bottle and went to work, massaging the soap into his feathers.

It was a long, tedious job, but after about twenty minutes, I was almost completely done. I had worked my way in, so by then I was already scrubbing where his wings were joined to his back. He'd needed this.

When I was finished, I helped him get the soap out of his feathers and then ducked under one of his wings to face him again. He brushed back my tangled, wet hair and said, "Thank you."

"Don't sweat it," I breathed, kissing him quickly on the mouth.

However, quickly turned into passionately in milliseconds, and before I knew what was happening, I was pressed to the tile wall with Fang's hands holding my waist as I kissed him, holding his chin and tilting my head this way and that. His mouth opened against mine and his tongue swiped against my bottom lip, making my groan. I trailed my hands down his neck and over his scarred chest. I gasped as his hands bunched up the hem of my tank top, his fingers grazing my skin.

_That's weird_, I thought.

_What? _

_You've only gotten better at this. _

_Guess I'm just a naturally good kisser. _

I smirked against his mouth. This, at least, could still be normal, still be us. He was still in there - _my _Fang. He was. It was just going to take a little coaxing to get him out.

We didn't snap out of our little kissing frenzy until a few minutes later, when the water turned icy in seconds. I gasped, pulling my mouth away from his, looking up into his eyes. They seemed to have gotten a bit brighter.

I wanted to say something; I wanted to tell him how much I'd missed him, how much I loved him. But all I could think of that would adequately express my feelings was another kiss.

_Fang…_

_I know, _he thought, putting his hand on my neck and kissing me again. My body was covered in goosebumps by then. His hand moved up and tangled in my hair and I groaned, pulling him against me so I'd feel his body heat. We kissed for a few more moments, this time less frantically and more soothingly.

Then I pulled away and turned off the faucet. We stood together, dripping wet in the shower together, holding each other and staring at each other for the longest time. Finally, I cleared my throat and pulled away, reaching out to get us both towels.

I held one out to him and wrapped one around myself, smiling at him. Then I hopped out of the shower to go get dressed. I left the bathroom while wringing my hair out with a towel.

"I was just kidding about the whole 'join-Fang-in-the-shower' thing," Aaron deadpanned.

I jumped. I would've covered myself, but I was still dressed and everything. I was just soaking from head to toe.

"What do you want?" I hissed.

He held up the phone and mouthed _Mom_.

I gaped at him. "You said that while my mom was on the phone? Get out!" I snatched the phone from his hand and pushed him out of the room. As I started to peel off my soaking wet clothes, I answered, "Hey, Mom!"

"Maximum Ride, I have been so worried about you! What's going on?"

I quickly tugged on my another pair of pants Nudge and Holden had bought - sweats - and pulled on my hoodie. "Jeez, Mom. Where do I start?" Fang came into the room at that moment, his eyes watching me.

"How about telling me why you hung up on me yesterday?"

Yesterday. In the hotel laundry room, where I left our clothes in the wash to go help the others. When Dylan stabbed me. When Aaron showed up.

That felt like weeks ago. In reality, it had been yesterday.

"It's a long story," I said. "Fang's with us, though. He's going to be alright. I'll fill you in when we get home."

"And when will that be?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know," I said. "We're going to have to pull something together."

"Take some money out of savings to get plan tickets, alright? Relax, you've done good. I'm so proud of you. I love you guys, Max. We'll see you soon."

"All right, Mom. Love you."

When I hung up, I immediately walked over to the bed and sat down next to Fang, who was sitting on the edge. His hands were on the soft comforter on either side of him, and he seemed to be simply taking in his surroundings. I sat beside him and pushed my fingers between his, giving them a squeeze.

"Evelyn has a daughter," I said softly. Fang turned to look at me. "Her name is Emma, and she's young. Ten."

Fang looked down at our hands, tightening his hold on mine.

"She has no idea what Evelyn did; what she was," I continued. "And she doesn't know about you."

Fang nodded just barely, but I knew his thoughts were going a mile a minute.

"We can go see her tomorrow, decide what to do. Okay?"

Fang stood up abruptly, pulling me with him.

"What are you doing?"

"I want…"

I stared at him. "What, Fang?"

"I want to go flying," he said.

I nodded slowly. "Okay, let's go."

"But…I haven't flown in…a long time."

I smiled, pulling him toward the widow of our hotel room.

"Well, I taught you once, didn't I?" I asked.

And a few seconds later, my hand in his, Fang and I jumped out the window together.

• • •

"Do you think she's going to come with us?" Nudge asked, standing beside me.

I shrugged, my eyes never leaving the two siblings across the room. "Hope so," I said. "Bought her a ticket, too."

"How old is she again?" Angel asked from one of the chairs along the wall of the police station lobby behind me.

"Ten," I said. Fang was doing most of the talking, from what I could see. Emma was watching him, nodding occasionally.

Iggy whistled, elbowing Gazzy. "_Ten_, eh?"

The Gasman reddened. "Cut it out!"

"Hey, it's all good, Gaz," Holden said. Aaron nodded.

"Yeah, she's pretty cute - for someone who looks like Fang."

I shot him a dry look. He grinned at me.

"And it's okay that she's younger," Iggy added helpfully. "Ella's younger than me."

"And we all know how great that's working out," I mumbled.

"Pretty damn great, actually!" Iggy said firmly, turning his head toward me. "Unless you've heard otherwise!"

I shook my head, which did nothing for him since he can't see. He got more nervous. "Max! Have you heard otherwise?"

"No, Ig, now shut up."

He said something unintelligible about how I was stupid, but I wasn't paying attention to that. I was too busy watching Fang and his sister walk toward us. Emma spotted us and looked up at Fang uneasily, grabbing his hand. He looked down at her in surprise for a second, then back at me. I smiled, nodding.

"Guys," Fang said, looking around at us. "This is my sister, Emma. She's one of us, now."

**A/N: My body and mind are so freaking exhausted. Wrote this quickly, sorry if it sucks. Two more chapters after this. Might be a bit of a wait, but I want them to be perfecto. **

**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: LAST CHAPTER AND THEN THE EPILOGUE. O.M.G.**

**Trust me. There is nothing in here that is not rated T, which is (see above) the rating this story is. So, no complaints about inappropriate material. Just enjoy. Thanks, guys. I'm updating this early because I feel like I owe it to all my amazing readers!**

**Go on. **

It was really good to be home.

The entire freaking world had heard about us finding Fang - we'd been on the news several times throughout the day. Our flight landed around seven PM in Colorado, and the amount of news reporters and paparazzi there was crazy.

But, we survived.

Without punching anyone. Bonus.

Mom was at the airport to pick us up. Ella gave everyone a big hug then practically attacked Iggy. Emma was being very quiet and observant about the whole situation. Sound like anyone we know? Uh-huh.

My mom stepped in front of Fang, looked at him, and hugged him for the very first time since she'd met him.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Fang," she said as she stepped back. He nodded.

"And who is this?" Mom inquired sweetly, looking at Emma.

"This is Fang's sister," I said, looking at my mom for her reaction. If she was surprised, she didn't show it - her kind smile didn't phase for a second. "Her name is Emma."

"Hello Emma, I'm Max's mother. But you can call me Dr. M."

"Okay," she said quietly, holding Fang's wrist with a death grip.

"It's a lot to take in, huh?" I said. She nodded at me.

"We're a bit different." I grinned, looking at Fang, who looked a bit more alive than he did before.

"Well, I'll cook you guys dinner tonight, I guess," Mom said, motioning to the van. The van that the eleven of us wouldn't fit in to save our lives. "We going to your house? Okay. Who's flying and who's riding?"

"I'll fly! I felt like I haven't stretched my wings in ages!" Nudge exclaimed. Angel and Gazzy said they'd join her. Iggy reluctantly joined them so that everyone else - me, Fang, Aaron, Ella and Emma - could fit in the van with mom. I wasn't psyched to be riding in the van, but I wanted to be with Fang, and he wasn't leaving Emma's side.

Emma had immediately taken a liking to the girls; it seemed they were interested in the same girly stuff. Maybe Nudge was right and I was the defective girl who didn't like girl things. Oh, well.

Emma had also warmed up to the Gasman pretty quick. Today, when I'd mentioned it to Fang, he'd just shaken his head. Those crazy kids.

I held Fang's hand the ride home, resting my head on his shoulder. He was stiff, as if he were uncomfortable being back in normal surroundings, but he was loosening up. I'd been trying to brainstorm ideas to get him back in the swing of things, but hadn't had any light bulbs yet.

The ride to our house was relatively short, and soon we were walking into the house. Fang was completely silent, but I could tell from his thoughts that he was really happy to be home again.

Mom and Ella were going to stay the night tonight, so they were in the living room. Aaron was going straight home to explain to his parents his disappearance. I led Fang and Emma upstairs and showed Emma the extra room; it had been Angel's, but she'd wanted to share with Nudge.

"This can be your room. You can paint it whatever you want and put all your stuff in here. Or, you could always share with the girls."

Emma just looked around the room.

Fang knelt down next to her. "Em, this is home now, okay? Mom…she had to go away. But the flock and I are going to be the best family you've ever had. I promise."

Emma nodded, then walked further into the room, running her hand over the empty bed frame. "Is she in jail?"

Fang shot me an accusing look and I shrugged. _I didn't tell her anything_, I thought to him.

"Why would you ask that?" Fang asked.

"Because, Mom was doing a lot of bad things. She was selling people. Hurting people."

"Emma?"

"That babysitter was stupid. She'd tell me to go to bed and then pass out on the couch. I read some of Mom's _top secret _papers once."

Fang looked at me. I stared back, speechless.

_She talked, _I thought to him in amazement.

_She's smart. _

I looked down at her again.

"She's in jail," Fang confirmed softly. "But that's okay."

"Yeah," Emma said. "I think it is, too."

God, was this kid really only ten?

"So, do you want this room?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know if I want to be all alone."

Just then, a wind-blown Angel came bouncing into the room. "No way, Emma. You gotta stay in our room."

"I've never shared a room with anyone before," Emma said, smiling for the first time since I'd met her.

"Yeah!" Nudge ran in behind her, grabbing Emma's hand. "It'll be so much fun! Sharing rooms is always fun, which is why I love it when we go to hotels and stuff! Then we all get roommates. But now, me and Angel and you can all share a room together! I mean, Max and Fang share a room, too, but that's for a different reason-"

"_Okay_, you guys go show her your room," I said, ushering them out. The three of them left Fang and I standing alone.

"So, she knows," Fang said.

"She'll be okay," I breathed, looking at him. "She likes you."

Fang just nodded. Then, without another word, he walked out of the room, pulling me after him. He went down the hall and slowly pushed into our bedroom.

"All my stuff is still here," Fang said softly.

I nodded, swallowing thickly. "I…didn't want to pack it up."

Fang pulled me against him, just holding me for a long time. He rested his chin on my head and I sighed, wrapping my arms around his torso.

"I remember," Fang said finally, "when your mom found out we were sharing a room."

I smiled into his chest. I remembered, too, as if it were yesterday.

_I woke up pinned to the mattress. I grunted, shoving at the huge immobile thing laying on top of me, using both hands and a foot to try and get it off. Oh, gosh. This was so not cool. _

"_Fang," I gasped. "Off."_

"_Hmmupfh," he groaned, pushing my face. _

"_Fang!"_

"_Wha'?" he mumbled, shifting around on top of me but not moving. _

"_Crushing. Me." _

_Finally, I was able to flip him onto his back and he groaned, opening his eyes. _

"_Will you stop being so violent?" he asked irritably. _

_Seriously? Whatever. _

_I rolled my eyes, quickly getting over our confrontation and Fang's cranky morning mood. _

"_Guess what?" I sang, rolling over on top of Fang to lay across his chest. _

"_What?" he asked gruffly. _

"_It's Sunday morning," I said, hovering my face over his. "Know what that means?" _

_Fang opened one eye to look at me. _

"_Everyone is sleeping in today," I said. "No interruptions. We can lay in bed _all morning_." _

_Fang's face slowly turned up into a grin, and he grabbed my waist. I leaned down and kissed him forcefully, pulling his head up closer to mine. _

"_Mmmm," I groaned, his mouth hot against mine. _

"_And this is Max and Fang's room," I heard, and the door opened to reveal Nudge and my mom. _

_I shot up, pushing away from Fang. I wiped my mouth and looked up at the two surprised people in the doorway. _

"_Max _and _Fang's room?" _

I was snapped out of the memory by my mom calling, "Dinner!"

We decided to save the depressing story of the past few days for tomorrow. At dinner, we talked and ate as normally as usual. Emma sat next to Fang, where Aaron usually sat when he came over for dinner. I was across from him.

"Now that we're back, does that mean we have to go to school tomorrow?" Nudge asked glumly.

"I think you all deserve a vacation," Mom said slyly, grinning at Nudge across the table. "I'm sure the principle will understand, judging by the circumstances."

"Great! Now Fang and I can make out here instead of in that janitor's closet! Our bed is much comfier!"

Emma looked up at me, raising her eyebrows. Everyone else got quiet.

"Gazzy!" I chastised.

He looked at me innocently, drinking his juice. Everyone else started cracking up.

"That was _you_?" Emma asked him incredulously.

"No, that was you," Gazzy replied in her voice.

She smirked, pointing at her brother. "Do Fang."

Gazzy giggled. "Only Max can do me." In Fang's deep, gravelly voice, the insinuating tone was dead-on.

"Gaz," I said loudly over everyone's laughter, ready to make him behave. Gazzy looked at me.

I looked up and saw Fang grinning, looking around at everyone.

"Iggy next," I said, and Gazzy's face lit up.

• • •

"I'm exhausted," I said finally. We'd all been laying around the living room, watching TV and just relaxing. I'd told mom that tomorrow, we'd all sit down and talk about the hard stuff. But today, we could just enjoy being home. It was late now, about ten, and I was ready for bed. I kissed my mom's cheek and said goodnight to everyone, then headed up to my room.

I dug around in the dresser and found one of Fang's t-shirts, then climbed into bed. Just as I had pulled the blanket up to my chin, Fang came into the room and shut the door lightly behind him. He went over to the dresser and got dressed for bed in a shirt and sweatpants.

When he pulled back his side of the blankets and got in next to me, I kicked down the comforter and rolled over, straddling his hips. I leaned down and kissed him deeply.

When I pulled away, Fang stared up at me. "I thought you were tired?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not anymore," I mumbled shortly, my hands moving up his chest slowly.

"Max."

"We need this," I said softly. "I want this."

_I do, too. _

"Well, then? What are we waiting for?"

Fang pushed me onto my back and I pulled him down. He brought the blankets up around us slowly and leaned down until his face was right above mine. He kissed me, pushing his mouth to mine, gentler than before.

I pushed his shirt up over his head. I needed to feel him; I needed his skin against mine. I'd missed him so much for so long and I just needed to drown myself in him tonight.

And out of all the things Fang wasn't used to, this was something we could do. It came naturally to us. We could allow ourselves to just let go tonight and be together. We needed it, bad.

"You should lock the door," I whispered helpfully. Fang stared at me for a second before nodding and getting up.

His lips were on mine immediately after I heard the door click. He kissed me intensely, holding my head, and I pulled him closer. I needed to feel him, really feel him, and know he was there. Fang pushed up the shirt I was wearing, pulling it off. So now I was in barely anything. My stomach flopped nervously but I forced myself not to show it. Fang's thumb ran under the wire of my bra.

_You're perfect, _he thought.

_I've been told. _I kissed him again.

I ran my hands up his back, pushing my fingers through his wings. His feathers were like silk. I moaned softly, letting my hands push at his sweats. They were off, too, all of the sudden.

God, we were really close now.

I had to take a second to catch my breath, and as I did, I examined Fang's chest up close. One scar stood out to the most; it was curved, as if designed that way on purpose. It was right below his collar bone. I traced it delicately, looking up at him.

"Tell me about it," I whispered.

"I can't," Fang told me softly. "Please, Max. Not now."

"Okay, then show me," I said, touching his temple softly. "Please. I can handle it. I want to know."

He shook his head, kissing my forehead.

"It's hard for you to carry all of this alone. But if you tell me, then we can carry the weight together. Please, Fang."

For a moment, he was silent. Then: "Ready?"

I nodded, closing my eyes.

_Then I'm dying. I don't know, that's what it feels like, at least. There's a searing pain on my chest and it's my fault, because I messed up, because I failed. I deserve this punishment, she says. _

_The cut only goes deeper and deeper, and blood is everywhere. There is no remorse in her eyes. I deserve this, she says. I deserve the pain. _

_It's a horrifying agony ripping through me. I think she might stab all the way through to my heart. Maybe she'll kill me. Maybe if I move toward her she'll kill me on accident._

_That would be okay. Dying would be better, much better, than this. _

_As swiftly as the first strategic cut was placed, three others are. On my leg, my back, my arm. My mistakes, scarred deep into my skin, into my body. I won't ever forget. Ever. _

_I deserve this. _

Tears fell down my face as Fang blocked off the memory from my mind. I clung to him, gasping and crying.

"No, Fang," I whispered. "No. You didn't deserve any of it."

"Shh," Fang hummed in my ear, his hand running over my bare stomach carefully.

"I love you," I whispered.

Fang grabbed my hand - the one with his engagement ring on my finger.

"Max, more than you'll even understand," Fang breathed.

"_Show _me, then. Make me understand."

It's easy to take your clothes off and have sex. People do that all the time.

But to open up your soul and let someone into your spirit, your thoughts, your hopes and dreams and fears…

_That's _being naked.

So, here I was, lying "naked" under Fang while I still had everything technically covered. Because, let's face it, he'd known all those things about me for a long time. Practically forever. We knew all of those things about each other. What was there we didn't know?

_You have weird thoughts_, Fang thought to me.

_I know. _

_I love you. _

_I know that, too. _I pulled him back, grabbing his chin. My ring glinted, but just slightly since the lights were out and the only brightness was the moon shining through the window. I stared up at him. We were so close now, his body completely against mine. His lips were on my neck. I needed him, maybe in a way I'd never needed anyone before. I was willing to risk everything for him. I just…had to choose.

He smiled, leaning down to rest his forehead on mine. He was like…the last piece of the puzzle. The piece I'd been missing for so long. And now he was home, and he was with me, and we were so close mentally _and _physically, closer than ever before…

• • •

"Why is this door locked?"

"Max, Gazzy won't give me the remote!"

"Fang! Open the door!"

"Maaaaax!"

"Shut up, Nudge, you're such tattletale!"

"It's almost noon! Get your asses out of bed!"

"Aaron, language!"

"Sorry, Dr. M!"

"Unlock the door!"

I felt the bed move beside me and my source of warmth move away from me. I reached up and grabbed his arm. "Not yet," I groaned, tugging him back.

"Max," he said with a hint of amusement. "We have to get up now."

"No," I mumbled, rolling over onto my side.

"If you don't get up, I'm letting them in."

I shot up and started pulling on clothes. "Don't touch that door," I hissed, jumping into a pair of jeans.

A hint of a grin appeared on his face as he watched me. It hadn't taken him long to put on some pants, but apparently I was inept.

I didn't care if he was making fun of me. He was grinning. He was slowly coming back, _my _Fang. Old Fang.

But I wasn't surprised. I mean, who rocked his world last night?

If any of you just raised your hand, I will find you, and I will kill you.

But seriously. _I _rocked his world.

_Anyways_, when I was decent, Fang opened the door and practically the entire house fell into our room. Aaron was holding Iggy's lock picking kit, Ig was squatted down, trying to unlock the door, Nudge and Gazzy were shoving each other with Holden trying to break them up, Angel was behind all of them, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Beside her was Emma.

"Welcome to the flock," Angel muttered.

"Disperse!" I shouted, pointing down the hall. Gazzy looked up at me with wide eyes and dropped the remote, scrambling down the stairs. Nudge exclaimed and reached down, swiping the TV remote from the carpet.

"Morning, Max," Nudge said as Fang, Iggy, Holden and Aaron turned to go down, too. I grabbed Aaron and snatched the lock picking kit out of his hands, snapping it shut. Angel pulled Emma down the stairs, blabbering on about dolls or something.

"Morning," I breathed.

Nudge stepped into my bedroom, looking around.

"There's a lot of emotions swirling in here," Nudge said to me.

I looked at her uneasily. "Can you touch something and know exactly what happened, or just get emotions?"

"Sometimes exactly what happened," Nudge said, excited to practice her skill. She went over to the dresser and put her hand on it. "Like here, you changed into one of Fang's shirts last night."

Then she walked over to the bed. I panicked and hooked my finger in the back collar of her shirt, yanking her back.

"_Don't _touch that!" I said quickly.

That was close.

She looked at me curiously. Her eyes widened. "You and Fang had-"

"Shhhh!"

She rolled her eyes at me then hugged me, hard.

"Max, congrats! How was-"

Then she pulled back. She looked a bit green.

"You should go shower."

"What?"

"I'm getting a lot of vibes here," she said, motioning between us. I blushed.

"Uh, right. Okay." I turned to go to the bathroom.

"Hey, Max?"

"Huh?"

"Were you scared?"

I turned around to look at her. Her wide brown eyes were full of curiosity.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "It's not scary if you love the person you're with."

Nudge smiled, hugging me again, only to shove me away.

"Ew! Bleck, go shower!"

I laughed and went down the hall to the bathroom. As I was about to go in, I heard, "Max!"

I went downstairs to see Angel and Emma playing with some of El's old dolls.

"When we go back to school, is Emma coming, too?"

"Yep," I said. "We'll figure that all out next week. We're taking this week off."

"The _whole _week?" Gazzy asked from the couch.

"The whole week," I confirmed.

Gazzy pumped his fist into the air. I grinned at him.

Then I walked into the kitchen to see the four older guys cooking breakfast.

"Smells good," I said.

Holden glanced between me and Fang. Aaron smirked at me and Iggy said innocently, "Morning, Max."

I just knew. I knew before I even looked at Fang.

"You told them already?" I asked incredulously. Was _nothing _sacred anymore?

"I didn't say much," Fang said, frying bacon.

I huffed. "Much? So what did you say?"

"I just said-"

"Fine! So they know what we did. I don't care."

"What _exactly _did you do?" Iggy inquired.

"Is this a joke?" I asked, looking at Fang.

"Max, I didn't say anything. Seriously."

"Well, they know!" I insisted.

"Yeah, _now_. You just told them."

I blanched. Oh.

"So…Did you sleep okay, Ig?"

"Not as good as you, apparently," he snorted.

I bit the inside of my cheek. It was true. He probably didn't sleep as well as me.

"I'm taking a shower," I said shortly. Fang rolled his eyes at me, bumping Aaron's outstretched fist.

Boys.

In the shower, I decided I was going to try and untangle my hair. I turned, tilting my face up to the hot stream of water, and started working shampoo into my knotted mess of hair.

I almost screamed when I felt hands on my waist.

"Don't scare me like that," I gasped. I'd almost punched him. He just chuckled lowly in my ear. "What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"Helping you," Fang said, slowly pulling my fingers from my hair. Then he started to slowly untangle my hair, working his fingers through the strands like I'd done his wings. We didn't say anything. He just washed my hair, and I kept my back to him the entire time.

This was different. We'd been in the shower together before, but we'd been wearing clothes. And we hadn't slept together then, either. This was a lot different. I felt exposed and nervous, like I should've covered myself.

Fang ran his fingers through my hair one more time, rinsing the suds out. My hair fell flat against my neck and ran down my back smoothly. How the hell had he managed that?

I felt his lips press against my scar, from his tooth when we were kids.

"Thanks, Fangface," I mumbled.

He smiled against my shoulder. "Don't sweat it."

When we got out and got dressed, I could actually run the brush easily through my hair. I smiled at Fang.

"Haven't been able to do that in a long time," I mumbled.

Fang grinned at me, shaking his head like a dog to get the water out of is hair. I rolled my eyes, shoving him lightly. I noticed I was still being pretty gentle with him, though he was getting better. He looked alive now. Happy.

I bit my lip when he caught me looking at him.

"Let's go," I said.

Downstairs, we joined the others for breakfast.

"Max!" Nudge exclaimed.

"Your hair!" Ella added in astonishment.

"Yeah, Fang…helped me untangle it," I said, running my fingers through it self-consciously. Mom smiled at me, handing Fang and I loaded plates of food.

We ate quickly, scarfing down bacon and eggs like nobody's business. Emma was shocked by our food intake. Ella just told her to ignore the pig noises and eat. I rolled my eyes.

We convened in the living room for serious time. And when the questions started hitting, I felt Fang tense up beside me.

_It's okay_, I thought.

He looked at me. I felt like I needed to say something else; something more to encourage him.

A long time ago - it felt like two lifetimes - Fang had told me something.

_You have to want to be with someone for it to work. You have to choose. _

_I choose you, Max._

I was sitting next to Fang on the loveseat. We were facing all the others, who were either on the other couch or the floor. I leaned against him.

"Hey, Fang," I whispered against his cheek. _I choose you, too, Fang. _

Fang looked at me and I could tell he was remembering that night, too. He kissed my temple, pulling me against his side.

"Nice choice."

**A/N: Awwwwyeaaaah. There it be. **

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	26. Chapter 26

**Epilogue: **_**One Year Later**_

"Alright!" Ms. Dawson closes the door to the classroom as the bell rings. "Just because graduation's almost here doesn't mean the rules are out the window - Sawyer, in your seat."

For once, I don't mind her condescending tone - probably because it's not focused on me (for once). I glance over in Fang's direction only to see Dana Sawyer sitting on his desk, peering down at him in a greedy, predatory way. I roll my eyes.

_When is she going to back off? _I think testily.

Fang responds, _Don't know. _

Seriously. She has a boyfriend. Fang has a fiancée - _hi_. So, why doesn't she just drop it already?

Being reprimanded by the teacher seems to fly right by her as she takes her seat that is, unfortunately, right behind me. I can smell her sickly sweet perfume as she flips her hair and sighs.

"I think I'm sick. My throat hurts," Dana whines to no one in particular. No one in particular is listening, either.

_Bet your knees hurt, too, _I think. I can see Fang smirking out of the corner of my eye.

I sigh, leaning back in my chair. Ms. Dawson is going on about something or another - I think I hear the word test, but I'm not 100%. My mind wanders, as usual, because I need to distract myself if I want to stay awake. I hate History. The only good thing is that it's one of my only classes with Fang.

_This year needs to end_, Fang thinks.

_Only three more months_, I think back, closing my eyes.

Out of nowhere, my stomach rolls uncomfortably, _again_, and I shut my mouth. _Not here_, I think, pleading no one in particular.

_Are you gonna be sick? _Fang thinks, and I see him sit up quickly, as if he's going to jump out of his seat and carry me to the nurse. Because that would be totally normal and not possessive at _all_. He scowls in my direction, sitting back against the chair rigidly.

_Not if I can help it, _I think.

Aaron, who sits in front of me, asks me for a pencil. Because he never has one. Even when I give him one and tell him not to lose it, he always asks me again the next day.

I know if I speak, I'm _going _to blow chunks. No doubt. I seriously don't want to throw up on Aaron. I wordlessly, breathlessly shove my pencil bag at him. _He can keep them all if he wants. Just don't let me throw up._ He gives me a worried look - I probably look as sick as I feel - and I give him a tight, closed-lip smile.

I shoot another look at Fang, and he's sitting stiffly, watching me. When he sees my glance he smiles slightly, but I can see he's tense, just waiting for me to lose it. Glad to know he, at least, has faith in my barf-holding skills. Asshole. I take slow even breaths through my nose.

I'd started getting sick last week, and usually it was early enough that we hadn't left for school when my stomach decided to rebel. There were a few unfortunate days when I was sitting here, though, in first hour. So far, I hadn't been able to hold it back - just postpone it by running to the bathroom.

Please, oh, please, let me hold it back just this _once_.

_We're going today_, Fang thinks._ After school._

I grit my teeth. The anger and fear rising in me is almost as threatening as the bile in my throat.

_I don't -_

_I don't care, _Fang thinks. _We're going._

Slowly, the uneasiness in my abdomen subsides, but I don't take any chances. I sit there the rest of the hour, focusing on my breathing and the movie we're watching about World War II. And for a little while, I can focus on someone else's fear and desperation.

But not for very long.

• • •

"Where's Emily?" Fang asks Aaron as he and I sit down at the lunch table. Aaron rolls his eyes.

"How the hell should I know? We're not talking."

"That sucks," Ella said as she and Ig sat down across from us. "Why?"

"Because we're having a…disagreement."

"About?" Ella pushes on.

"Whether or not we should…take the next step in our relationship…" Aaron trails off pointedly. Iggy elbows him, nodding.

"Just give her time," Iggy says, totally out of character.

I roll my eyes. "If Ella wasn't sitting right there, you'd be saying that he should ditch her and find someone else to hook up with."

"No, I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would. That's all you guys care about," I say, waving my fork at Iggy and Aaron. "Screwing the hottest girls in school. There's more to it than just sex, you know."

"Whatever, Max," Iggy says.

"Yeah, wouldn't expect you to understand."

"And why not?" I ask testily.

"Because you think Fang's _so _different, and he does what he does because he loves you or whatever, but the real reason he isn't agreeing with us right now is because he's already screwing one of the hottest girls in school and he knows that speaking up will wreck his system!" Aaron says rudely.

And I don't have any response for that.

Because what if he's right?

All I can think about is how Fang didn't want this. He didn't want this baby that I may or may not be carrying. We didn't plan for any of this.

"Damn it, Aaron," Fang grumbles as I stand up, wiping my eyes in the process, and leave the table sniffling. I pass Holden, bumping his shoulder roughly on my way out of the cafeteria. I hear him sit down and ask what my problem is.

But then I'm out in the empty hallway, pressing my forehead to the wall and taking deep breaths. I thought I could handle this but I can't. Fang must hate me. Hate me for ruining his fun. For locking him into our relationship.

"Locking me in?" Fang grabs my arm and spins me around, staring at me incredulously. "Who proposed to you, Max? Who promised to be there?"

"Yeah, before _this_," I say, yanking my arm away from him.

"Yeah, _and _after _and _anywhere in between!" Fang says.

"Well, we didn't plan for this! This isn't something we can fix! If we're pregnant, we're pregnant. No going back."

"Fix it? What's broken?" Fang demands. "What is your _problem_?"

"My problem is that we could be parents-to-be right now and you don't seem to care at all!"

Fang stares at me as if he doesn't know who I am. That just breaks me in half.

"What do you mean, I don't care? I'm freaking out, Max. But does that mean I have to cry at the lunch table, like you just did? Sorry I'm not a blubbering mess!"

"Fang!" I gasp.

"And I can't _believe _that you are so depressed at the fact that we might have a kid!" Fang says, throwing his hands up in anger. "We don't even _know _yet, and you're already acting like it was a mistake!"

I shake my head, looking away from him. I can't even begin to explain how upset I am. I can't believe him. He can't believe me, either.

We are just so fucking _unbelievable_.

"Max. What's our plan after high school?" Fang asks me after calming down a bit.

I shrug, still not looking at him.

"Marriage?" Fang asks gently, tilting my chin in his direction. "Kids?"

I look up at him through my tears, breathing heavily.

"So what if we did it out of order," Fang reasons, pulling me toward him. "So what?"

I nod, pressing my face into his chest. I need a tissue right about now.

"Whether we're pregnant or not," Fang says, "we'll be okay. No matter what. I promise."

And all I can hope is that Fang is right; we'll be okay. No matter what.

• • •

I stand in the "family" aisle of the drug store, wishing I'd brought my mom with me.

Though, that would have meant _telling _her.

Which I did not.

We came here right after the release bell, and Fang had to practically drag me to the car. He told the others to fly home and not to worry about dinner. Which resulted in Aaron probably driving the non-winged members in his car.

I guess it helps a little that Fang is here, but not much. Neither of us really knows what we are looking for.

I scan the boxes. Fang's hand is gripping mine tightly, reassuringly, but I'm not really thinking about that. I don't know which ones are reliable or not. I don't know what to do. Does that mean I'm not ready? How does anyone even know their ready? Maybe they're not. Maybe no one is ever ready for this until it happens. I don't know. All I know is my stomach is knotting painfully as I wonder if I should just buy one from each brand.

But even if we buy them, then what? Take _all _of them? I just can't even imagine telling the others, telling my mom. Fang and I are older, eighteen, and I guess mature, but I just don't feel old enough to be making these decisions.

Fang reaches out, grabs a small pink box from the shelf and wordlessly holds it out under my nose.

I've seen this one on TV, but never imagined myself ever buying it.

Irony just reaches up and slaps you in the face sometimes, doesn't it?

The front of the box had a picture of a pregnant woman on it. I take the box from his hands. My heart is beating fast and I think I'm going to barf - this time just from nerves and not morning sickness. I don't know how many I should get. Then again, I can't spend all my money on disposable pregnancy tests, so I grab another one that says words like "guaranteed" and "recommended" on the box.

I pull Fang to the checkout. I don't look at him because I'm not sure what I will see, so I just focus on the cashier, who tells me my total. I feel like everything I do is a mechanical action. My mind is barely working right now, but at the same time I feel like I'm thinking too much. I'm hot and cold at the same time, and I don't know whether I want to be pregnant or not.

Fang and I pick up food on the way home, and finally, twenty minutes later, we pull into the driveway and Fang kills the engine. He holds my hand, but I'm staring at the house. It seems so small all of the sudden. Now, we might have to make room for another member of the flock. Do we have the money for this? The stability? The safety?

That thought leaves me numb, and I push it away.

We walk into the house and I go straight up to our room, throwing the bag on the bed and closing the door. I push out of my jeans and my long sleeve shirt and tug on a pair of Fang's sweats, rolling them up so I don't trip over the foot of extra fabric. I put on a tank top, then feel too cold and grab a sweatshirt. My eyes drift back to the bag. I'm not sure what to do. We can handle that later.

Fang's dealing out food downstairs. Aaron's over, as usual, and I sit down across the table from him, sighing.

"Uh, I'm sorry I blew up at you at lunch today," Aaron says softly. I nod. "I know I upset you."

"I'm fine," I say. He looks unconvinced, so I force a smile and punch his arm lightly. "We're fine. Promise. Do you ever go _home_?"

He rolls his eyes. "Where'd you two go?" he asks, glancing from me to Fang.

Fang, without missing a beat, says, "We got dinner."

Nudge sits down at the table, pulling on shoes.

"I'm going to Amanda's," she says, looking at me. She looks nice, dressed in a shimmery blue top and dark jeans. Her hair, which must've taken a while, is straight and runs down her back. "We're going to watch movies then go to Jared's later. He's having a bonfire. It's going to be so fun and I really hope Riley's there. He said he would be, but I don't know…So is that okay?"

"Yeah," I say. I unwrap one of the steaming hot sandwiches and dump my curly fries out on the wrapper. "Keep me updated, and don't…be stupid." I almost said _don't do anything I wouldn't do_. But that doesn't really weed out all the bad things anymore. Not like she knows that, but still.

"Ketchup," Gazzy says, and I push the bottle at him. My stomach growls, but for the first time in forever, I'm not sure if I can eat.

Fang shoots that doubt down right away. I'm sure he's been reading my mind since this morning, but I don't really feel like pretending for him. I'm freaking out, and he can know if he wants. He sits down next to me.

"Eat," he says shortly, taking a bite of his own burger. I pick up a fry.

"You, too, Nudge," I say, taking the focus away from me so no one will worry. "Put something in your system before you go."

She nods, grabbing one of the wrapped sandwiches from the paper bag. I nibble on my food, distracted.

"Your mom's got work, but Ella's driving over for dinner," Iggy says, tossing one of his wrappers into the trash can across the kitchen. He makes it, unsurprisingly. Gazzy whoops, slapping his high five.

"Can I have some money?" my eleven year old Angel says, finishing off her can of soda before standing from the table.

"Why? Where are you going?" I ask, looking up at her as she finishes her burger. Fang reaches into his pocket to fish out some cash.

"Jamie's mom is taking us to the movies," she says.

"Is Jamie a boy or a girl?" I mutter to Fang. He says boy. I look at Angel.

"Just you two?"

"Max," Angel begins, her face reddening.

"What movie are you seeing?"

She shrugs. Fang hands Angel ten bucks, and she gives him a hug.

"That's fine," I say, too distracted with my own agenda today - which, for the record, begins and ends with _find out if I'm pregnant _- to go all freaked-out-mom on the girls. I have to save all my energy for being freaked-out-_soon-to-be_-mom later. Maybe.

"Just, don't mind-control the ticket guy into letting you into an R movie, okay?"

"Unless it's just R for violence, because that doesn't count," Gazzy adds helpfully.

"Yes," I say, "it does. Don't listen to your brother."

"That's Jamie," Angel says, a good minute before a light blue minivan pulls up in the driveway. She leans over and hugs me, whispering, "Good luck."

My eyes widen. I'd completely forgotten about mind-blocking her.

"It's okay," she says, patting my knee. " I won't tell."

I nod slowly, watching her leave the house then jog down the driveway to a minivan waiting for her. A boy gets out of the passenger seat and hugs her, then gets in the backseat with her.

I look at Fang, and he's already watching me. He smiles, and his hand finds mine under the table. I take a deep breath and smile lightly back at him before returning to my practically untouched food. Nudge stands up, pulling on her jacket.

"Do you need a ride?" I ask her. "Fang can drive you."

Nudge hesitates. "Well, I was kind of hoping that you would, uh, let me drive myself…Since it's not that far and I haven't gotten to drive alone yet since I got my license and I know the way so I won't get lost-"

I interrupt her. "It's Fang's car, ask him."

Fang nods. "Don't wreck it. Call when you get there, when you're leaving."

"Are you driving Amanda to the bonfire?" I ask.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Jared doesn't live in the middle of nowhere or off some dangerous road or anything. He's, like, twenty minutes from here. And there won't be drinking or anything."

"Yes, there will be," Iggy says from across the table. "There's always drinking." Something the three of us have learned in our past few years of high school. Now it is Nudge's turn. I look at her.

"Okay, there _will _be, but not me. Promise."

"I trust you," I say, standing up. I pull her into a hug. "Don't make me regret saying that."

I don't know how she can stand to drive after being in that car accident with me. I haven't gotten behind the wheel since. I will, one day…but for now…

Fang tosses Nudge the keys and soon she pulls out of the driveway, leaving us with the boys.

"No plans for you guys tonight?"

Gazzy shakes his head. Emma, who sits beside him, just shrugs at me as she works her way through a burrito. Holden and Aaron just look at me.

"Like I said, El is comin' over," Iggy says. He leans back in his chair, rubbing his stomach.

"I'm going to take a bath," I say finally, standing up. I leave the five of them in the kitchen, Gazzy talking animatedly while Emma, Iggy and Aaron listen intently and Fang watches me leave, his chin resting in his hand. Probably wondering if he should come with me or not.

First, I grab the bag from the bedroom. I read the instructions. I have to wait for the results to appear anyways, so I take the two tests we bought then set them face down on the counter.

I go through the motions routinely after that. Pulling the shower curtain open, plugging the drain, dumping in soap and bath salts that Nudge got me as the water fills the tub. I undress quickly, feeling goosebumps on my skin. Slowly, I sink down into the sudsy water, the bubbles reaching up to my chin. I can't let my wings out, and I feel them cramped uncomfortably under me, but I ignore that and try to relax. My fingers rest deftly on my stomach, gently as if my belly is something extremely fragile. As if it hasn't taken a million kicks and punches before. As if it'll break under my tender hands. I try to imagine a baby in there. Imagine my stomach growing, getting bigger and bigger until I have to waddle everywhere I go. Until I can't see my feet. Until I can't bend over and touch my knees.

It freaks me out. I desert that mind exercise and try to relax, try to not think about anything.

I don't know how much time passes. Eventually I fall asleep, and wake up later with the water turned cold and the bubbles almost all gone. I lift my hands out of the water and my fingers are wrinkled and pruned. There's a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" I ask, reaching for my towel.

"It's been almost an hour," Fang's low voice says through the door. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I…dozed off," I admit. I unplug the drain and dry off, wrapping the towel around myself.

"Give me a second," I say, tugging on my clothes.

"I'll wait," I hear him say, then hear him lean against the wall opposite of the door.

When I'm done, I throw my towel to the ground and open the door. Fang pushes in, closing it behind him. I can hear the others downstairs, playing some video game. I don't know how, but Iggy's actually pretty good. I know from experience - he's beaten me a hundred times.

Fang tilts my chin up and bends down, pressing his forehead to mine. Our noses touch. I sigh, wrapping my arms around his waist, pulling him against me. He kisses my head.

"Are you worried?" I ask. Because I need to know. Because I am. Because I hope that he's not. Because I don't want to be.

"I…" he pulls back. He glances at the counter where the tests are laying face down, hiding the results. _I hope they're positive, _he thinks.

"Really?" I ask hoarsely.

Fang reaches over and grabs them.

"We'll look together, okay?"

Silently, I nod. He presses one into my hand, face down.

He kisses me, which makes me feel a thousand times better. Fang _wants _this. He does. I think I can want it, too. Maybe I already do, and I don't know it.

Fang grabs my other hand, and I can feel something change. I feel so old. I feel excited.

"Ready?"

I nod again and together we flip the tests to see the results.

"So…does this mean your boobs are going to get bigger?"

That. Is. What. He. Says.

At a time like this.

That.

I stare up at him incredulously. "Fang, seriously." I hold up the test in my hand to show him the small pink plus sign.

"Yeah, I know," he says, holding up the other one that clearly states _PREGNANT_.

"We're pregnant and you want to know if my boobs are gonna grow?" I hiss. "Are you twelve?"

He smiles at me, kind of lightening up the entire room.

"Yeah," I mumble, rubbing my forehead. "I guess they are going to get bigger. Along with the rest of me."

"Stomach I can deal with - at least other guys will stop hitting on you. And butt…well, we both know I won't have a problem with that."

I stare at him in disbelief. And I'm having _his _child.

What have I done?

"Just more of you to love," he says cheesily. I might barf.

Fang wipes the goofy look off his face and sobers up enough to kiss me.

_This is good, _he thinks. _Good news. _

And I think so, too, really. Frankly, what else could I ask for?

"Looks like Aaron is about to get twenty bucks poorer," I whisper as Fang pulls away.

"NO!"

The door bursts open and Aaron scrambles to grab the tests from mine and Fang's hands. Iggy stand behind him, a smug grin on his face. Luckily, it doesn't look like Gazzy and Emma are around to hear the news, which is how I want it to stay.

"Nooo!" Aaron groans as he reads the results. "We were _so close_! Only three months to go!"

I huff and slam the door in his face as he digs out the cash for Iggy.

_Bam! _Aaron's fist meets the door forcefully as Fang kisses me again.

"How could you, Fang?"

_Bam!_

"What about our plan to go on that road trip to the top ten most amazing strip clubs in America?"

Fang looks down at me. "That was never a plan."

_Bam! _

"_It was, too, you asshole_!"

I look up at Fang, raising an eyebrow.

"It was Aaron's idea."

_Bam!_

"Fang! You ruin everything!"

Fang grins at me. _You okay? _

I nod. _Yeah. _

_Bam!_

"Max, I'm telling your mom!"

I throw the door open and shove Aaron against the wall across the hall.

"_No, you aren't_!"

"No, Max, I won't, I won't," Aaron insists quickly, looking down at me with fear in his eyes. "I'd never…"

I glare at him for a second longer before letting him go. He backs away, rubbing his chest where I'd hit him. I look around at the four of them seriously. "_No one _is telling _anyone_," I hiss. The four of them nod obediently.

"Wait," Iggy says slowly. "You want the four of us to keep a secret?"

We all just look at each other.

"Bad choice," Aaron says, shaking his head.

Maybe.

I'm not saying I don't make bad choices.

But if I had the chance to go back, I'd make the same choices over again.

Every time.

**A/N: Soo….Hate me if you want. But I like it. **

**Questions to answer:**

**-What was your favorite part of this story? **

**-Did you enjoy this story or **_**Risks **_**more? Why?**

**-Are you upset that I made Fang knock up Max? Why? **

**-How did you like this epilogue? **

**-Are you ready to hear about the third and last installation? **

**People to thank:**

**greysky3, pancakes-for-you, officiallydana, acap-fax, ohmygoshhello, Random girl, flytothemax97, Raisa ana' Mariana, Slightlysane443, fallingstars97, LovePercabeth4eva, GagaBear18, Taylorannw12, Lilliana1313, Freedominwriting, Arizonakittylover, xXimmortalXx, jetthedog, Lime Heart, Animalover99, BooksRide, icywhisperingkiss, depressedandbenign, totalbookworm42, FaxlastsForever, DoomedToBeACrazyFanGirlForever, Ally babyy3, AinsleyWright, BoOkWoRm, SRHLOVESREADINGP, KickbuttMaximum, BlackStarGodliness PolkadottedPandas, adalyn333, FangLovesMeMost, Melody Lindsay Ride, and SO SO SO many more! Anyone who was with me from the very beginning, or even those who joined in halfway through the middle. You all have definitely earned my deepest appreciation. Without you, I'd just be a girl who's failing Math because she writes random fanfictions instead of doing her Algebra homework. You guys rock my world. THANK YOU!**

**The last installation of this trilogy is titled **_**Consequences**_**. **

**NOTICE****: IT IS NOT A "Max-is-pregnant-and-the-bad-guys-want-her-baby" STORY! ****AT ALL****.**

**And, I don't want to spoil anything else, but just trust me. Y'all seriously think I can't come up with a better plotline than **_**that**_**? Come on. **

**I got a ride in store for you guys... **

**[Summary for **_**Consequences**_**: "A few bruises, a few cuts…What **_**happened **_**to you, Max?" "I don't remember," I mumbled as the man, Fang, let his hands move over my torso. "But I don't think it's appropriate for you to be feeling me up right now. We just met." Fax. Follows **_**Choices**_**.]**

**Review, and see you sometime in May (maybe June)! **


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